Trevor O’Neill (the multi-instrumentalist and singer behind Possible Oceans) watched from his writing studio as a seemingly endless stream of police helicopters flew towards downtown LA at the height of the BLM protests in the summer of 2020. In that moment he was struck by the bravery and determination of the protestors, but also stunned by the show of force and violence they were met with from police and military alike. The brutality of the response revealed how close the country was to unraveling, and how far we had to go to live up to the ideals we claim to represent. “Birds of Paradise,” the latest single from Possible Oceans, is a tongue in cheek reference to the omnipresent police helicopters that dot the night skies of Los Angeles.

A video directed by Trevor will be released alongside the single. Inspired by the 1995 Wong Kar-wai film, “Fallen Angels,” the video follows Trevor and a band of co-conspirators through the streets of LA in the middle of the night as they attempt to evade the LAPD helicopters in constant pursuit from above and survive until morning. An unseen series of events takes a toll on Trevor, who appears more battered and bloodied as the video progresses.

Possible Oceans previously released the single “Blood in the Water” in January 2021, which made its UK radio debut on BBC1 Radio’s Future Artists with Jack Saunders. “Blood in the Water” and “Birds of Paradise” are part of a batch of singles written during the pandemic, a time which left Trevor with little else to do outside of experimenting in his home studio. Trevor tapped producer Jules de Gasperis (Low Hum, James Supercave) to collaborate on this set of singles. As the pandemic dragged on, the final stages of recording became an exercise in extreme social distancing with de Gasperis deciding to shut down his Highland Park studio and return to his native France. There he undertook the final mixing sessions with Trevor sending notes and overdubs across the Atlantic from his home studio in LA.

Drawing comparisons to Foals, The Horrors, Queens of the Stone Age, and Royal Blood, this new series of singles is at once introspective and far-reaching. With an undertow of swirling synths and driving guitars, these songs see Possible Oceans reaching across genres and pushing sonic boundaries. More singles will follow in the months to come, with a full-length scheduled for release in early 2022.