''Flip Phone Fantasy'' is the second studio album by Australian

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band Ocean Grove. it was released on 13 March 2020 through

UNFD UNFD (pronounced as an initialism ˈjuːˈenˈefˈdiː/ is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label is home to a number of Australian artists including Thornhill, Ocean Grove, Hellions and In Hearts Wake, and in ...

Records. Their first single "Ask for the Anthem" was released on 6 February 2019. The second single "JUNKIE$" was released on 28 October 2019. The third single "Sunny" was released on 12 December 2019, while the music video for the single was released on 20 January 2020. The fourth single "NEO" was released on 11 February 2020. The fifth single "Thousand Golden People" was released on 27 February 2020 along with the announcement of the album's release date. It is the first album to not feature Luke Holmes on vocals and Jimmy Hall on guitar, and the first album to feature Twiggy Hunter on bass and vocals with Dale Tanner switching to lead vocals; this can be heard on the album in a shift away from their previous

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

influenced releases, as ''Flip Phone Fantasy'' takes more influence from

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early ...

and

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

, featuring far less screaming than their previous work.

Critical reception

''Flip Phone Fantasy'' received critical acclaim upon release. Kel Burch of Depth Mag was overwhelmingly positive about the album, giving it a perfect score of 10 and stating "Whether it’s in the fire of 'Neo', the dark trancey world of 'Guys from the Gord', the whispered intoxication of 'Baby Cobra', the heartfelt balladry of 'Freaks', or the bouncy singalongs of 'Ask for the Anthem', ''Flip Phone Fantasy'' brilliantly expresses the heart and soul of Ocean Grove. The band embody the importance of individuality and to look to the heart instead of assume a prescribed or expected image. ''Flip Phone Fantasy'' is a fitting tribute to that, and a breathtaking adventure to be with." Tom Valcanis of Hysteria Magazine also gave album a perfect score of 10 and stating "Ocean Grove starved for this album, they bled for this album. ''Flip Phone Fantasy'' is that union of imagination, time, and sound manifest. Go decorate some well earned moments with it. You’ll be glad you did."

Track listing

''Note: All track titles are stylised in all caps.''

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. * Dale Tanner – lead vocals * Twiggy Hunter – bass, vocals, lead vocals on "NEO" and "Baby Cobra" * Matthew Henley – guitars * Sam Bassal – drums, production,

engineered Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

, mastering, mixing * Running Touch – samples, vocals, lead vocals on "Sway"

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums Ocean Grove (Australian band) albums UNFD albums