Photo credit: Paul Tobin
The Ocelots are twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Watson from Wexford. Building on the folk-rock essence of their debut, the duo released their highly anticipated second album, Everything, When Said Slowly, 7th February 2025. This album unveils a richer, more expansive sound, masterfully produced by long-time collaborators Cillian and Lorcan Byrne (Ailbhe Reddy, Susan O’Neill). The narrative woven throughout the album explores themes of Irish migration, the perception of time, love, and the simple joys of cycling.
“The title Everything, When Said Slowly is a response from an old Irish man’s perspective on people leaving our hometown of Wexford over the years past. He said it was a very long time since they left, but not much time if you said it fast. I found it wonderful and profound, but also deeply moving and fitting for the album’s sentiment. How time flies or drags depending on what you’re experiencing, especially when it’s time in a place you said goodbye to.”
Blood harmonies are the centre of The Ocelots’ sound – imperfections of a voice breaking or a tempo shifting. Recorded live in Orphan Recording Studios, by Gavin Glass (Lisa Hannigan, BellX1, David Keenan, John Grant, Villagers), the band’s performances help form a driven, energetic scrapbook, coloured by flutes, synths, harmonica and harmonium. The twin brothers blend absurdity and sincerity in an array of literature-inspired musings. Open tunings and clawhammer banjo bring country-folk contemplation, but the imagery is very much urban, living outside of the romanticised glaze of wood cabins and cottage-core nostalgia.
“Apart from recording the majority of the album in an intense window of three days, we had a long overdubbing phase back in Leipzig. We were able to be more creative with the final touches. I worked in a bookstore and inside we had this beautiful noisy harmonium. I had a lot of fun with that, and I was in love with the sound. Brandon worked day after day on lead guitar parts, harmonica parts and arrangements for cello lines or extra harmonies. It took way longer than it should have, but it was worth it”.
‘About You’ Official Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBvdMDlRiz8
‘The Good of a Bad Year’ Official Video:
https://youtu.be/H2YYc2PbQA8?si=N21Ssp-OMPA5n4MO
‘Australia’ Official Video:
https://youtu.be/-Py6MzLxysg?feature=shared
TOUR DATES:
To celebrate the launch of the album, The Ocelots will perform live shows across Ireland, The UK, and Germany.
See them at:
IRELAND:
Feb 7 – The Jeremy Hynes Room – Wexford Opera House
Feb 8 – The Seantí – Waterford
Feb 12 – The Black Gate – Galway
Feb 13 – The Commercial – Limerick
Feb 14 – Whelan’s – Dublin
Feb 15 – The Duncairn – Belfast
Feb 16 – Sandinos – Derry
Feb 20 – Music in the Park – Kenmare
Feb 21 – Coughlan’s – Cork
Feb 22 – Levis’s bar – Ballydehob
Feb 23 – Prim’s Bookshop – Kinsale
UK:
Feb 26 – Newport (Le Pub)
Feb 27 – Frome (HydeAway)
Feb 28 – Worcester (St. Swithun’s Church)
Mar 1 – Birmingham (Sunflower Lounge)
Mar 2 – Sheffield (Cafe #9)
Mar 4 – Leeds (Oporto)
Mar 5 – Manchester (Castle Hotel)
Mar 6 – London (Green Note)
Mar 7 – Brighton (Folklore Rooms)
Mar 8 – Winchester (The Arc)
Mar 9 – Southbourne (Wight Bear)
Mar 11 – Cambridge (Portland Arms)
GERMANY
Jan 31st – Rough Trade Records Instore – Berlin
April13 – Bad Kotziting (Banhof Kotzting)
April 23 – Hamburg (Hebebuhne)
April 24 – Berlin (Prachtwerk)
April 25 Leipzig (Neues Schauspiel)
May 11 – Munich (Milla)
May 15 – Cologne (Blue Shell)
May 17 – Dresden (Club Puschkin)
May 18 – Frankfurt. (Ponyhof)
BIOGRAPHY:
The Ocelots are twin brothers Ashley & Brandon Watson from Wexford, Ireland. Formerly a school band, The Ocelots learned their craft by playing blues standards and indie-rock songs during lunchtime. They finished school and began backpacking and street-performing around Europe. After releasing their first EP ‘Till We Get There’, which hit more than 1.7 million streams, they spent the following years backpacking which became extensive touring, playing shows and festivals around Europe and Australia.
Their debut album:‘Started to Wonder’ was released In March 2020, an audible Introduction to their coming-of-age from touring delirium and over-exposure to paperback fiction. In July 2023, The Ocelots released an EP ‘Addlepated’, leaning into their more whimsical, dream-like influences like Midlake or Sufjan Stevens. During this time, they also supported artists such as Jack Johnson, Glen Hansard and Ocie Elliott, amongst many others.
In November 2023, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, The Ocelots returned to Ireland to record ‘Everything, When Said Slowly’. The album was recorded live in Orphan Recordings, Wexford by Gavin Glass (Lisa Hannigan/BellX1/David Keenan/ John Grant/Villagers). It was produced and mixed by long time collaborators and sometimes band members, Cillian & Lorcan Byrne (Basciville) and mastered by Julia Borelli.
https://theocelots.com/
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