The Ocean Party To Part Ways With Farewell Tour & Final EP

Melbourne outfit The Ocean Party have announced they'll part ways following a farewell headline tour this year and their final ever release, EP Nothing Grows.

In a statement, the band said the death of their drummer, Zac Denton, last year, led to the decision. 

"... We felt that writing new material without [Denton] wouldn’t feel right and the time has come to call it quits," the statement reads.

"We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to do this together for so long. This band has been such a big part of our lives for such a long time, that it’s going to feel really strange to end it. It’s been a way of making friends across the country, a way of seeing some amazing place around Australia and the world, a way of feeling validated artistically and most importantly an excuse to spend countless amounts of time together.

"We’re going to all miss being a part of The Ocean Party and we really want to give it a proper send off."

The forthcoming EP, due out on 14 March, is a collection of songs written by Denton. 

"Zac was an ardent believer in releasing music and his extensive back catalogue at the age of just 24, is evidence of that," the band said.

"This EP is a great example of what an amazing songwriter he’d become and this EP, titled Nothing Grows is some of his very best work. We’re going to have a few copies of it on vinyl and we think you’ll really like it.

"We’re going to ask some friends to help us sing Zac’s EP, then we’re going to play a second set that we’re calling (very liberally) ‘The Greatest Hits’. We’ve been really lucky to have had so many amazing friends and fans come to shows over the years and we’d really love to see all of your faces while we play these songs one last time.

"Hope to see you there and thanks for humouring us for so long."

The tour kicks off in Melbourne next month, followed by stops in Canberra, Sydney and Wombarra. For a look at all of the venues and dates, click on theGuide or scroll down.