B-Side Guys

Collage as catharsis—few artists understand this concept as intuitively as Minnesota’s Ethan Asis, performing as e.fin. His track “ocean sounds” from the album “local minima” transforms disconnected elements—sampled conversations, surf rock guitar lines, and fractured relationship narratives—into a surprisingly cohesive emotional experience.

The track’s effectiveness stems from how it juxtaposes conventional indie rock structures with unexpected intrusions of reality. When Asis sings “She left me on the sidewalk where the wires were sticking out from all the rain,” he establishes both physical setting and emotional damage, creating a visual metaphor that carries throughout the song. These exposed wires reappear later as “bleeding wounds,” connecting environmental and personal destruction.

What distinguishes “ocean sounds” is its ingenious incorporation of sampled conversations. Rather than mere decorative elements, these clips function as narrative pivots, providing context and counterpoint to the sung sections. The repeated chorus structure—”Like a movie (movie movie movie) that I’m watching again (again again again)”—mirrors how memory replays traumatic moments, with the vocal echoes creating a disorienting effect that mimics emotional processing.

The surf rock elements aren’t merely stylistic choices but thematic reinforcements. The genre’s traditional associations with carefree beach culture create deliberate tension against lyrics exploring abandonment and loss. This contradiction reaches resolution in the final audio clip, where a friend discusses washing away negative feelings in the ocean—audible in the background—suggesting a path toward healing that the song’s protagonist has yet to find.

Asis’s vocal approach balances vulnerability with detachment, particularly in lines like “I’m dead without your air, see,” where dependence is acknowledged matter-of-factly. The production choices enhance this duality, with clear, present vocals set against instrumentation that alternates between crisp precision and deliberate haziness.

“ocean sounds” succeeds by treating emotional processing not as a linear journey but as a collage of moments, conversations, and musical elements—much like actual healing. The result is a track that feels both meticulously crafted and authentically spontaneous, establishing e.fin as an artist who understands how form can enhance rather than merely contain emotional content.