''ARK'' is the fourth and final studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band We Are The Ocean. It was released on 11 May 2015 in the United Kingdom. The album spawned three singles: "Ark", "Do It Together", and "Holy Fire".

Background

Recorded in the summer of 2014, the band got new management on board, after the release of their last studio album,

Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow ''Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow'' is the third full-length album by English rock band We Are the Ocean. It was released on 17 September 2012 through Hassle Records in the United Kingdom and through SideOneDummy the next day, 18 September in the ...

, released in 2012. This is the first album to be written solely by the new line up, without any help from previous vocalist Dan Brown, who put work into their last release. This album marks the full departure from their original

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

and

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

sound, in favour of a more

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

tone.

Track listing

Reception

ARK received mixed to positive reviews from critics. ''drownedinsound.com'' gave it an 8/10 praising non-stop rock n' roll flow, quoting "Each

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...

is chock full of energy, watertight and detailed rhythm section work, and pummeling into a state of death by melody and counter-melody." Bring The Noise also gave the album a strong 8/10 review, they said "With one swift move, We Are The Ocean had evolved from a gritty post-hardcore outfit to a tightly wound alternative rock group that are capable of punching out a twelve song album that is the physical embodiment of everything that is good about modern alternative rock." Alreadyheard.com gave a more mixed review saying the album is powerful but they aren't sure who on We Are The Ocean's new sound, saying "At times 'Ark’ is modern and at others classy, but it's also raw and polished. Sure variation is a good thing to have but once you're finished with 'Ark’, you're left confused as to who or what We Are The Ocean are now." Mosh gave it a far more negative 2.5/5 stars quoting inconsistency in the album's sound.

Personnel

*Liam Cromby – lead vocals, rhythm guitar *Alfie Scully – lead guitar, vocals *Jack Spence – bass guitar, backing vocals *Tom Whittaker – drums, percussion, backing vocals

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums We Are the Ocean albums Hassle Records albums