Go By Ocean | EP | LP | + Single ft. Michael Nau — Ascending Ghosts

A new single — Ascending Ghosts (instrumental remix) by Go By Ocean ft. Michael Nau — is drawn from forthcoming 6-track EP Communications With the Unknown, which features acoustic versions, instrumental remixes, and outtakes. These releases presage the upcoming release of Go By Ocean's Can I Communicate With the Unknown? as a vinyl LP.

Go By Ocean is the moniker of Northern California based singer / songwriter / producer Ryan McCaffrey. Co-produced by Tim Bluhm (The Mother Hips), David Glasebrook and McCaffrey, the album features contributions from a wide cast of characters, ranging from the tight-knit community of Phil Lesh’s much-loved Terrapin Crossroads to the wider West Coast scene, including members of The Mother Hips, Sugar Candy Mountain, ALO, Tea Leaf Green, and more. This is Go By Ocean’s fourth album.

The Ascending Ghosts single features special guest Michael Nau...

"I’d been talking with Michael Nau about working on a record together for many years. He was stoked to collab with some synth parts and I was delighted with the results. Nau is one of my favorite contemporary songwriters and his records mean a great deal to me," says Ryan McCaffrey.

Communications With the Unknown brings the offering full circle, as the original inspiration behind the album was to capture stripped down versions of McCaffrey’s songs with just vocals, acoustic guitar, and keys. This was all before McCaffrey built-out his studio Sun Machine Recording and went to town bringing the album to life with a colorful cast of characters pulled from the West Coast improvised music scene, ultimately making an album that recalled CSNY, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds.

Communications With the Unknown finds McCaffrey working alongside the same team of producers as the 2023 album - Tim Bluhm (The Mother Hips) and David Glasebrook. Three of the songs feature just McCaffrey and his acoustic guitar with minimal overdubs, while the other tracks include contributions from members of The Mother Hips, Sugar Candy Mountain, and Billy & the Kids. Ascending Ghosts (instrumental remix) features contributions from old friend and kindred spirit Michael Nau, who lends his modular synths to the song’s melodies.

If Can I Communicate With the Unknown? was a question posed to the universe as McCaffrey wrestled with themes of addiction and existentialism, then Communications With the Unknown is a response from the depths, a fuzzy radio signal from the other side, a transmission from a place where one can find peace and freedom in a tumultuous world of chaos and doubt - a welcome message in these times.

For further info, release dates and tour dates please see below.

Here's the release schedule for new Go By Ocean releases in 2024...

May 31st - Go By Ocean ft. Michael Nau "Ascending Ghosts (instrumental remix)" single

June 21st - Go By Ocean “Communications with the Unknown” EP (featuring acoustic versions, instrumental remixes, and outtakes)

Bandcamp - https://gobyocean.bandcamp.com/album/communications-with-the-unknown

June 21st - Go By Ocean "Can I Communicate With the Unknown?" US/Canada vinyl album

August 9th - Go By Ocean "Can I Communicate With the Unknown?" UK/EU vinyl album