Hey Ocean! is a Canadianindiealternative rock andsynthpop band formed in 2004 inVancouver. As of 2025, they have released four studio albums and four EPs.
David Beckingham (vocals/guitar) andAshleigh Ball (vocals/flute) had been friends since sixth grade, joining with David Vertesi (vocals/bass) in 2004 to form the band.[1] They ran their own label for many years, being represented byNettwerk Management,[2] and had overtures fromGene Simmons[3] before signing withUniversal Music Canada for distribution in 2011.[4]
After releasing the EPsTriceratops (2004) andRainy Day Songs (2005), Hey Ocean! issued their debut full-length album,Stop Looking Like Music, in 2006. They followed it two years later withIt's Easier to Be Somebody Else.In 2009, the band toured Canada withthe Cat Empire[5] and performed atSxSW.[6] A year later, they again toured Canada and played several events[7] for the2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
In 2011, Hey Ocean! released the EPBig Blue Wave, and in the summer, they performed at the City of Vancouver's 125th Anniversary[8] and atLive at Squamish, a three-day music festival in British Columbia.[9] They finished the year with another cross-Canada tour, including an appearance at thePrince George Winter Festival.[10] Ashleigh Ball suffered a vocal cord injury during a performance, which resulted in the cancellation of the Eastern Canada portion of the tour.[11]
In 2012, Hey Ocean! returned with their third studio album, titledIS, and they followed it up in 2013 with theIS Acoustic Sessions EP.
Through 2015 and 2016, the group's performances were exclusively at charity events, such as Sing it Fwd,[12] while Ball and others worked on solo projects.[13]
In July 2017, the band announced through their Facebook page that they had reunited to work on a fourth album, titledThe Hurt of Happiness.[14][15] On September 19, they published two songs from the upcoming record: "Amsterdam" and "Can't Let Go".[16]The Hurt of Happiness came out on April 6, 2018.[17]
Lead singer Ashleigh Ball's voice acting work has drawn international attention to the band from members of theMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magicfandom. Fans have created music videos featuring the band's songs and footage from the show, some of which were featured on the group's official website.[18] At the end of June 2013, Hey Ocean! performed at Fiesta Equestria, abrony convention in Houston, Texas. They also made a collaborative music video between the staff ofMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and bronies, titled#TweetIt. The band was featured inBrent Hodge's documentaryA Brony Tale.
In 2011, "Make a New Dance Up" was featured in a promotional video fromHootSuite,[22] and the band performed forCBC'sCanadian Indie Christmas Special. Hey Ocean! was also voted number one in the Best Local Band (Unsigned) category by readers ofThe Georgia Straight, a local news and entertainment paper, in its "Best of Vancouver 2011 Readers' Choices" recognition.[23]
In 2012, "Islands" was featured in the episode "Last Known Surroundings" ofOne Tree Hill. The February 22, 2012, episode ofEntertainment Tonight Canada ended with the music video for "Big Blue Wave". The song "Make a New Dance Up" was heard in the episode "Mother and Child Divided" ofSwitched at Birth.
Hey Ocean! was nominated in the Breakthrough Group of the Year category for theJuno Awards of 2013, (later won byMonster Truck), and featured on the compilation album released by Warner Music for the event.[24][25]
