Music – Brisbane
Ocean Leaves are a rag-tag collection of Brisbane multi-instrumentalists headed up by Canadian import Timothy Poitras. They play in the vicinity of indie folk, but they\'ve evolved beyond “dude with an acoustic guitar sings about his feelings”, layering a string section, banjo, horns and even the occasional accordion into a rich, emotive sound that\'s best heard live.
Poitras spent his twenties making music for himself, until he decided to quit messing around, recording an EP (Always Is The Time To Make Everything) while living in the Blue Mountains in 2013. After he moved to Brisbane, he recruited his current crew and started playing gigs. While the EP is an impressive debut, reflecting all that time spent noodling in his bedroom, Poitras made the right decision in getting a band together. On record, his songs wear their influences – the quiet introspection of The National, the emotive questing of Grizzly Bear, the wandering melodies of Bon Iver – but with his band, they become something bigger and deeper.