Ahead of his upcoming UK tour, we sat down with Liam Cromby, formerly of We Are the Ocean, to chat about his journey into becoming a solo artist, his latest EP ‘Re-Imagined‘ and his feelings about getting back on the road again.

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What has the reception been like for the ‘Re-Imagined’ EP since its release?

Liam: The reception on the EP so far has been positive. There are two sides of the coin on this. The fanbase that I have been working with on the americana/country world in the UK over the past 2-3 years, really enjoyed the re-imaged version of ‘Trying’, which was an acoustic song on my first album. [What Can I Trust, If I Can’t Trust True Love]. The one in between, ‘Everytime I Look For You’ is a blink-182 song, but done in this americana style. That was the point where I needed a bridge to then ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’ and it has been widely accepted. The people have enjoyed hearing it in a different way but I don’t think people know there is a re-imagined version of that song. Hopefully it will fall into their hands at some stage just like the original did on MySpace.

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What sparked the idea to record ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’ in this style?

Liam: Sometimes, things just happen for a reason that leads you on to the next part of your journey. Last year, I had come to the end of the album cycle for my first record and I made a conscious decision to record a second album and lean into a more We Are The Ocean sound. Just before I went into the studio, a video went viral on TikTok of a content creator called “PineappleJessiex” who was doing a series of songs that were forgotten about and one of them was ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’. I commented on it just to say “Hi, it’s Liam here”, it was really special. It was the first time in a long time that I felt seen. For a long time I thought the majority had forgotten about the band. That was difficult to get my head around. To see this influx of people following my page and asking “where have you been?”, that then let into doing something for those fans. I had already planned to release ‘Trying’ and the cover, so it was a very last minute decision and it was the song that started so much for me and my music career. It is the song that has never left me alone. It has been with me all this time. 

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How have you found adjusting from being in a band to now a solo artist?

Liam: I have been through a lot in that time. It has been a journey. I totally fell out of love with music at the end of We Are the Ocean. I didn’t even pick up a guitar, I wasn’t writing for 2-3 years. It was a dark time in my life. I went through counselling and the key point of that was, why don’t I enjoy music the way I used to? That sent me on a journey, a slow one, back in 2019. Recording my first album as a solo artist, I wasn’t even going to release it because I went into that recording session just for me. I went back to the same studio that We Are the Ocean recorded in called Little Farm Studios. I needed to know I can do it again and will it feel the same as it used to? It has been a long journey, lots of challenges along the way but I am grateful for all of them. I have had to do those trials and tribulations to get where I am now.

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We Are the Ocean were surrounded by bands of a similar genre, would tour regularly and play festivals together. Have you found a new scene that you are a part of now since going solo?

Liam: I am a bit older now.. I live in Liverpool whereas before I lived in London and I was always going to gigs. I would bump into Rob (Don Broco) or Mike (Lower Than Atlantis) who I would see all the time and that doesn’t happen anymore. I try to stay in touch with people but also reach out to new people and build a community in that sense. In my experience, it isn’t like it used to be and I put that down to the nature of the beast. Everything is done through social media now. I don’t play as many shows as I used to, there aren’t as many grassroots venues anymore. We would play shows relentlessly with bands like Deaf Havana, Lower Than Atlantis and Don Broco before any of us reached the pinnacle of what we would go on to do. 

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How excited are you to get back on the road with your upcoming UK tour coming up? 

Liam: It is certainly the longest set of dates I have done in years. I am really looking forward to getting back out there. What I am most looking forward to though is meeting people. Connecting with We Are the Ocean fanbase, playing some of the songs I haven’t played in a long time. We did a reunion show back in 2022 in London and unfortunately we weren’t able to tour that. The truth is, a lot of the venues were booked up with the overlap of the Covid reschedule shows so we couldn’t get the venues for it. We had planned to do more. I feel like there is a bit of responsibility to go out and tour, play the songs they want to hear as a thank you really. What I do as a solo artist, people are crossing over to that now and I appreciate that so much. I realise that the songs I were writing have helped people and that is what music does. I didn’t realise that when I was writing those songs. I am really excited to get on the road and do that for people again.

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What do you have planned for the second half of 2025 and even next year?

Liam: I am aiming for festivals next year. I want to play more with my band as well. The idea is to reconnect with people on this acoustic tour and then introduce people to my new music, with the first single coming out before the end of the year, maybe even a second one. I want to start introducing people to my band, whether that is at festivals or even a tour that I can do. I am an independent artist for the first time in my life and I am learning a lot. I am knocking on everyone’s door that I have met over the years. I want to do the best I can for myself and this album.

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Do you have anything you would like to say to your fans who you have reconnected with and also those who are fans of your solo career?

Liam: A message of deep gratitude. To those who have stayed with me, reconnected with me or jumped on board recently, a massive thank you and the best is yet to come.

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Liam will be touring the UK through August and September, playing a series of We Are the Ocean tracks and solo material. Remaining tickets are on sale now.