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Apr 08, 2022 By Mark Redfern Photography by Alex Joseph

Oceanator, aka Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Elise Okusami, has released a new album, Nothing’s Ever Fine, today via Polyvinyl. Now that it’s out you can stream the whole thing here. Also, on Wednesday we posted our review of the album. Stream the album below and read the review here.

Okusami co-produced Nothing’s Ever Fine with Bartees Strange and her brother and longtime bandmate Mike Okusami.

When Nothing’s Ever Fine was announced, Oceanator shared its first single, “Bad Brain Daze,” via a video that also features a cameo from Jeff Rosenstock (who plays saxophone on the song). “Bad Brain Daze” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then she shared another song from it, “Stuck,” via a lyric video. “Stuck” was again one of our Songs of the Week. Then she shared another song from it, “The Last Summer,” via a video for the song that features Okusami and her bandmates touring around Washington, D.C.

Nothing’s Ever Fine is Oceanator’s sophomore album, the follow-up to her debut album, Things I Never Said, which initially came out in August 2020 via her own Plastic Miracles label and then was reissued physically in February 2021 by Polyvinyl. It was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2020.

Nothing’s Ever Fine was recorded at Falls Church, VA’s 38 North and at Mike Okusami’s space in Maryland, with the parts recorded separately as overdubs, rather than live. Most of the album’s tracks feature drums from longtime Oceanator collaborator Andrew Whitehurst.

Oceanator and Jeff Rosenstock are labelmates and toured together in 2021, which is how he ended up on “Bad Brain Daze.” Of touring with Rosenstock, Okusami says: “It felt like going on tour with a bunch of friends. It felt cool to know that even as shows get bigger, we could still have a little community.”

Oceanator is one of the artists on our Covers of Covers album, which came out in March via American Laundromat. She covers Elliott Smith’s “The Biggest Lie.” Check the cover out here.

Read our interview with Oceanator about Things I Never Said.

Read our rave review of Things I Never Said here.

Oceanator Tour Dates:

04/10 - Champaign, IL @ Polyvinyl Patio
04/12 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar #
04/13 - Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard #
04/14 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater #
04/15 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk #
04/16 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
04/18 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn #
04/19 - Nashville, TN @ Basement East #
04/20 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
04/21 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
04/23 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat #
04/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
04/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg #
04/26 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
04/28 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre #
04/29 - Columbus, OH @ Skullys #
04/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI #
05/01 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
05/03 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line #
05/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom %
05/21 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House %
05/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater %
05/24 - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall %
05/26 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom %
05/27 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox %
05/29 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic Venue %
05/30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall %
05/31 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall %
06/03 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland $
06/04 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre $
06/05 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s $
06/06 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom $
06/08 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Annex (Behind Hi-Fi) $
06/09 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre $
06/10 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant $
06/11 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl $
06/13 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall $
06/14 - Columbia, SC @ The Senate $
06/15 - Norfolk, VA @ The Norva $
06/17 - Holyoke, MA @ Race Street Live $
06/18 - Buffalo, NY @ Ashbury Hall - Babeville $

# w/ Pedro The Lion
% w/ Tim Casher, Laura Jane Grace, Anthony Green
$ w/Pup

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