Oceanica – “Try Not to Dwell on It”

Oceanica, have announced their forthcoming EP, Try Not to Dwell on It. It will be released this July on Bandcamp,

Oceanica is a solo music project of award-winning, UK-based, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist, composer, Benedict Harris-Hayes. The EP is a 21-minute composition that delves into themes of personal reflection after the loss of a collaborator and friend, offering listeners a profound and emotive experience as a result. Benedict Harris-Hayes writes, performs, and records everything himself.

Benedict Harris-Hayes, has previously garnered acclaim for his work with the award-winning projects, Massive Dynamic and Enochian Theory. With Oceanica, he continues to push musical boundaries, blending elements of progressive rock and post-metal sounds with massive sound design to create a distinctive new sound, on this EP.

The EP’s creation has been a deeply personal journey for Harris-Hayes, who shared: “Try Not to Dwell on It” is, quite probably, the most creatively challenging project I have ever undertaken. It was born from the passing of a friend and collaborator, and I had to find a way to finish this record for that person…as well as myself. I became somewhat obsessed in doing this, and I found that even in death, there is life. It took me on an incredible journey through technological development and cutting-edge audio, used to achieve this record, and I cannot be prouder of that journey.”

“Try Not to Dwell on It,” opens with grand and regal electric guitar that provides a wonderful anthemic, opening salute to this project. He follows it with ever-increasing power drums and backing orchestration. Then, suddenly it all explodes onto the soundscape. An almost bagpipe sounding electric guitar, keyboards, smashing drums and powerful sounds take the stage. Then, Benedict Harris-Hayes sings along with “The Lady,” “Lightbearer holds the cold. Lifegiver told us so. Calm your soul. Tempests inside. Hold your own. Within the ebb and flow of universal woe. Stand. Pick your battles. Bide your time, and seek your calm. Glide through and believe in this certainty, that all unfolds as it should be. You will be constructing no heaven empathy. You’re right where you need to be. Your own God within thee.” Shortly after, a silence fills the soundscape, then, a slow progression of progressive rock rhythms returns. Ben and “The Lady” return to sing, with Rush – like electric guitar moments, taking me back in time, “Dim the noise. Centre yourself, and breathe. We know that the Light. Safe in knowing. Our time finite. Hold on to this every time you breathe. It’s not for knowing. Not our place. To live, to be, to feel, to see everything. My heart, it is, it seems, at best open-armed. A dream I feel to find our place. On, my own. A dream I feel. A dream I feel.” Then, midway through the EP, the soundscape is filled with quieter, keyboards, and a softer electric guitar melody. Ben returns to sing, “Maybe, life will be more than what you see. Gather strength to be alone. All that you needed. Believe colors shaping your all.” Followed by sounds of a cityscape, with urban sounds, fills the air. Ben returns to sing, with slow plucked electric guitar, “Mirror shows true self. Shows us ourself. Comes back to us all that hurts the most. Freely we choose.” More calming keyboards soft electric guitar and well-paced drum beats. Ben sings with “The Lady,” “Cruel is the wind that blows across us now. Fate calls us home. Release yourself, from trappings, for your health. Imagining distresses.” Some deeper, more powerful electric bass and heavier drums provide a short interlude, before a glittering electric guitar solo. Then Ben and “The Lady” close the EP, “Time, the great equalizer. Our life, our own. Dream, our lives. Our own,” as powerful electric guitar, drums, and keyboards, light a shining way to the close.

Benedict Harris-Hayes adds, “Whatever your feelings are on A.I in art, I implore you to read this information about how I managed to finish this record using an LLM that was trained on the voice of my dead friend. It’s important to me that you understand WHY I did what I did.” He tells the story of, “The Lady,” his collaborator, “My friend was taken from us by a drunk driver, partway into the recording process of this record. No rhyme or reason. Just Life reminding me that s**t can and will happen and that you are then faced with how you react to it.” Ben decided to complete the album using LLM trained on “The Lady’s,” voice. He used audio clips she had recorded before passing and made the album, using LLM technology. As Benedict concludes, “It’s taken me on a massive creative and technological journey, and I doubt I would have ever explored this without her loss. Love and light, Ben.”

Wow, what a profound and moving piece of music, Benedict Harris-Hayes and his project Oceanica have created with “Try Not to Dwell on It.” If you read what I have passed along from Ben’s press release you cannot help but want to at least hear this EP. Once you do, and realize all the pain, mental analysis, time, and amazing technical composition effort that has gone into producing this EP, you must come away with respect. Respect for the effort, clarity, and mission Ben set himself on, to bring us this everlasting memory for his collaborator, to fruition. Listen to or read through the lyrics, because there are valuable pieces of wisdom for all to share. Yes, I absolutely would recommend Oceanica’s debut EP, “Try Not to Dwell on It,” to anyone who likes progressive rock or progressive metal. Honor the memory of “The Lady,” and give this wonderful tribute a listen.

Album Track List:

1. “Try Not to Dwell on It” – 21:34

All instruments, songwriting, production, and mixing were performed by Ben, as with every release by this project. It was also engineered and mixed by Ben at Backyard Studios/Ethereal Tantrum Studios, UK. The mastering was handled this time by Grammy-award winning engineer, Alan Douches (Converge, tDEP, Mastodon, etc.) at West West Side Music, NYC. The track will be available in both stereo and DOLBY ATMOS multichannel versions, coming on CD and digital download from the OCEANICA Bandcamp. TNTDOI features a female vocalist called “The Lady”, who I will elaborate on during any discussion, as this is perhaps the key point of this record. Music and lyrics by Ben Harris-Hayes.

Website and Social Media Links:

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oceanica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benharrishayes

Bandcamp: https://oceanicauk.bandcamp.com/album/try-not-to-dwell-on-it-2025-ep

YouTube and Music Video Links: