The dark side of America’s Deep South has long been a source of inspiration for storytellers, from writers such as Flannery O’Connor to TV shows like True Detective. Exploring race, religious fanaticism, magic, the supernatural and the grotesque, ‘Southern Gothic’ stories reject the old romantic South and expose its underbelly, often with horrifying results. Now, Texan band Oceans Of Slumber are presenting their take on Southern Gothic with their fifth album, Starlight And Ash.
“There’s a charm and a draw to this place,” Oceans Of Slumber drummer Dobber Beverly says of the South. “And no matter how bad it gets here – and it can get bad – people still want to be here. There’s some kind of magic, especially down here on the coast [he’s in Houston, Texas].”
“There’s such a mix of music that you’re exposed to down here pretty early on,” adds Oceans vocalist Cammie Beverly. “There’s a ton of Southern Baptist churches, Southern gospel, you have blues, jazz, country, folk – there’s a bit of everything. And then you add on the heat, you add on the culture, and it kind
