Quickly becoming an internationally-recognized name in the melodic house circuit, burgeoning producer OCULA returned to Monstercat today with his anticipated EP, ‘On The Run.’ Unearthing a newfound maturity in his artistry, the four-track package sees OCULA transition from his familiar uplifting structures to euphoric vocal-led tracks and moody club cuts. Leading with breathtaking vocals from South African singer-songwriter Julia Church, the title single is a cathartic journey that embodies the evolution of OCULA’s boundary-pushing sounds with a hypnotic instrumental and a melancholic yet ethereal feel. Capturing his tenacious momentum on the label, the EP features his recent atmospheric hit “Renaissance (feat. Luke Coulson)” alongside the fan-favourite “Try Me” and new track “Waiting.”
Stream – https://listen.monstercatmusic.com/ontherun-j3ew
OCULA shares, “The main thing I’ve taken away from developing and crafting this EP is that it’s good to push myself a little out of my comfort zone, while still trusting my own abilities to make the end result work. The thought of only creating one style of music for years to come is pretty terrifying, so it’s really refreshing to mix in new sounds, explore different moods, and break the habit of resorting back to the same structure.”
Julia Church adds on the title track, “‘On the Run’ is about someone who is an enigma, hard to love and unattached, but who still exists in every fibre of your being. It’s about saving space for them in case they ever want to find their way home and reconnect. I had a very close friend that this is loosely about, who would always run away and start over in a new place to cope with unresolved pain. I think this song tries to make sense of them while still placing them in a beautiful and warm light.”
OCULA has become a celebrated prodigy in the melodic house realm after breakout releases on This Never Happened, mau5trap, and Anjunabeats. His musicianship has gained support from heavyweights like Armin van Buuren, Le Youth, and Lane 8, who he recently opened for in Glasgow and Belfast this summer. OCULA is getting ready to embark on his first-ever North American tour in February 2023 with a headline show in Denver followed by support dates for Jerro and more to be announced soon.
‘On The Run’ EP Tracklist
1. On The Run
2. Renaissance
3. Try Me
4. Waiting
OCULA Bio
British DJ and producer Brad Littler, aka OCULA, has quite rapidly become one of the premiere names in the melodic house scene. After a rapid rise to prominence with back-to-back releases on deadmau5’s epochal label mau5trap, the Staffordshire, UK native has quickly made a mark with his blend of moving, organic melodic house – his intimately addictive sound quickly became a mainstay at Lane 8’s imprint This Never Happened. Official remixes for Gabriel and Dresden, Le Youth and Lane 8 himself are amongst the many staples of OCULA’s expansive discography, which includes showcases on iconic labels Armada, Anjunabeats and Spinnin’ Deep. 2022 sees the arrival of OCULA’s debut album, ‘Crossroad.’ Based on the times of doubt and difficulty that new artists face in the industry, OCULA looks to pay homage to those moments where it would have been easier to give up; but continued on. Bringing in the creativity of a handful of his favourite lyricists, such as Phillip Larue on ‘Green Willow’, MAVICA for ‘No Borders’, and Richard Walters on ‘Only You’, the freshman album creates a stunning sonic journey of emotion that displays the evolution of OCULA’s sound over recent years.
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Julia Church Bio
Based in London by way of Durban, South Africa, Julia Church grew up enamoured by the sounds of trailblazers Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Nora Jones. Church is a singer, songwriter and producer woith 3 EP’s under her belt (2019’s ‘Take What You Want, Do As You Please’ and 2020’s ‘To Have, Not Just To Hold’ and ‘Cups and Balloons’), Julia continues to charm audiences with her unique and distinctive vocal style. In tandem with her solo project, Julia has featured on a number of high profile records, racking up over 100M streams worldwide. “I love the freedom that comes with toplining – drawing out melodies from instrumentals and being able to write about whatever feels right.” Collaborations include Denver-based Lane 8 on “Oh, Miles” and “Garden” for South Africa’s Sun El Musician which recently went Platinum in South Africa, Lemon & Herb and Goldfish to name a few.
Julia is no stranger to writing for other artists. She’s worked on records for Australian breakthrough artist grentperez, Ferdinand Weber & David Scott. “Writing songs for other artists is something I particularly love. I love working in new genres and stepping into someone else’s world.” Julia has also worked with various composers including Rob Lane, with their collaborations appearing three times on Sky Atlantic’s ‘A Discovery Of Witches,’ which were recorded live at AIR Studios.
Julia began her Anxious Lullabies project during lockdown as an outlet for her songwriting that was more journalistic as a matter of fact. Keeping a diary of “throwaway” tracks was a way of surpassing boredom during lockdown, but these turned into many of her much loved collaborations and her latest single ‘I Don’t Think I Love You Anymore’ was born out of an Anxious Lullaby.
In 2019, Julia sold out her first London headline show and has supported a number of artists including Ra Ra Riot at Oslo in Hackney, Ruby Duff and Quarry at Laylow. She’s played alongside Tom Odell, Rick Nowles and Nick Hodgson at The Other Songs Event, and more recently Electric Brixton and to 5000 people at Printworks, alongside Goldfish.
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