Ocean Alley Found Their ‘Cruisy’ Groove With Rock Producer Nick DiDia on ‘Love Balloon’

For Ocean Alley, they just needed confidence to get things rolling.

The indie surf-rock outfit returns with Love Balloon, their fifth studio album which got air last Friday, Sept. 19 via Community Music.

For the first time, the Australian six-piece worked with legendary rock producer Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against The Machine), following an introduction from former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning.

“You can tell how experienced he is,” enthuses vocalist Baden Donegal, “because he was just so laid back and everything just gets done and on time. He just knows what’s down the road, and we’re still learning all of that.”

After a couple beers and some rounds of golf with DiDia, the musicians just “hung out like mates” and talked a little bit about music. “It was just the most cruisy kind of mutual relationship that we’ve had so far,” recounts bassist Nic Blom.

The result is cruisy, too.

Spreading across 10 tracks, Love Balloon is a dreamy, chilled journey that should hit the target with the Australian band’s growing fanbase.

Led by the singles “Tangerine,” “Left Of The Dealer” and the title track, the new set was recorded over three stints, across roughly three months. Those final recording sessions were “more like a ‘plug-in and play’ sort of approach,” remarks guitarist Angus Goodwin. “Like, very much an old school approach.”

Which checks out. Ocean Alley’s throwback sound is like an antidote to the rush of modern life.

The group smashed through the barriers with 2018’s “Confidence”, which topped triple J’s Hottest 100, an annual countdown that regularly captures upwards of two million votes. Its parent Chiaroscuro narrowly missed out on a top 10 peak on the ARIA Albums Chart, hitting No. 11. Follow-ups Lonely Diamond (from 2020) and Low Altitude Living (2022) both peaked at No. 3 on the national survey. “Confidence” is now six-times platinum certified in Australia, and total streams across all the band’s songs exceed 1 billion.

With the breakthrough of “Confidence,” life in the band got a “whole lot more serious,” says guitarist Mitch Galbraith. “There were a lot of changes we had to make, the show had to be a lot more professional. There was a lot more pressure. We had to tone back the beers before we went on stage and to make sure that every note was correct. Get the key right.”

They’ll hit those notes when they return to North America for a second run of headline dates starting Oct. 2 at Empire Control Room & Garage in Austin, TX. Earlier stops this year have included festival appearances at Lollapalooza, Brooklyn Paramount Austin City Limits and Hollywood Palladium. But first, a dream gig at London’s 10,000 capacity Alexandra Palace on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Would a No. 1 album scratch an itch? “It’d be nice. Yeah, sure, I wouldn’t say no to a No. 1 album,” says Donegal. “We’ve never really cared or chased a trophy or an accolade like that. We’re just we’re stoked when we finish a record and we’re happy with it and whatever happens, happens. We still get to like fly around the world playing music to our fans. We love what we do.”

U.S. 2025 Tour Dates
Oct. 2 @ Empire Control Room & Garage – Austin, TX
Oct. 3 @ House of Blues Houston – Houston, TX
Oct. 4 @ Austin City Limits Music Festival – Austin, TX
Oct. 6 @ House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
Oct. 8 @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville – Nashville, TN
Oct. 10 @ House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
Oct. 11 @ Austin City Limits Music Festival – Austin, TX
Oct. 13 @ The Truman – Kansas City, MO
Oct.15 @ Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
October 17 @ Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA