PTM Podcast: Songs for the end of the world with Oceanator

This week I’m joined by Elise Okusami, singer, songwriter, and arranger for the band Oceanator. Today, Oceanator is releasing their debut full-length album Things I Never Said.

In many ways, it seems like this album was written about this particular moment in time. Songs like “A Crack in the World” or “I Would Find You” have an end-of-the-world energy that could easily be talking about the coronavirus pandemic, the pandemic of police brutality and racism, or the economic crisis that the US is facing.

But Elise wrote these songs years ago — some as early as 2012. “I think I’ve always been a little bit of a doomsday, end-of-the-world person,” she told me. Despite the album’s apocalyptic themes, it also finds solace in relationships and catharsis in ‘90’s inspired alternative rock.

I talked with Elise about how the album came together, its adorable merch, and how her experience as a multi-instrumentalist influences her songwriting process. Use the player above to listen to our conversation, or find the episode on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Songs included in this episode: “I Would Find You” and “Heartbeat”