Hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, solo rock artist Stanley June has released a massive 17-song album Oceans. His third full-length album to date blends classic rock styles with progressive, new-age metal, in a way that is extremely familiar, yet simultaneously unique.

Following up 2013’s Imitating Art and 2017’s Maps & Minutes, Oceans presents a comparatively polished sound. While instrumentally more crisp, Stanley June admits this release is also more thematically mature. “Oceans is a more mature release and truly captures everything I’ve been through leading up to this point musically, emotionally and mentally.” He continues, “I’ve had this recurring dream about falling into the ocean, but instead of being scared, I was happy to leave that sense of comfort behind. That’s where the main theme for this album originated: perhaps something that seems terrifying at first, is actually comforting and hitting the water isn’t actually bad at all.”

Sonically, Stanley June gets the energy up immediately on the opening track “A City Asleep”, with it’s fast-paced, progressive guitar tone and accompanying drum patterns. Classic influences ring true on this track, as this sounds like a cross between the instrumentation of recent Shinedown and the vocal delivery of an eccentric Bon Jovi. This full, almost theatric vocal delivery continues on “Face the Tide”, which perfectly complements the piano-driven intro sequence.

Elsewhere, the lead singles of this release “Right Where We Belong” and “One More Night” highlight the passion and ability of Stanley June. Bringing powerful choruses and catchy hooks, there’s no surprise these are the most popular songs on the album, amassing more than 13,000 streams on Spotify. This album wouldn’t be complete without an emotional power ballad, and “Like a Ghost” is another standout track that certainly fills this void.

Not only does Stanley take on the role of solo instrumentation, but he also dedicated 18 months of his life to self-produce this impressive full-length. While he admits it was a challenging task, it was even more rewarding. “Having the freedom to self-produce, I was not limited to time or creative restraints, which was very liberating, but also very challenging,” he said. “But I couldn’t be happier! The album really speaks to me and represents who I am, so I hope listeners can also relate in some way or another.”

Coming in at a whopping 1 hour and 8 minutes, Stanley June puts it all on the line with Oceans. It’s a personal record that is sure to connect with any fan of modern rock. You can find the official music video for “One More Night” below and “Face the Tide” on our official Spotify playlist now!