Ocean City Defender is the performing name of Ontario-based multi-instrumentalist K. Preston Merkley. Far from the typical sounds of a solo-performer, Ocean City Defender creates lush synthpop songs both on stage and record.

The Golden Hour is Ocean City Defender’s debut EP. Recorded over the fall of 2011, The Golden Hour presents a tight focus on vocal melody and structure; the songs are built around warm synthesizers, hazy guitars, and supported by the steady pulse of drum machines.

Ocean City Defender’s influences range widely from the sounds of New Order and Tears for Fears, to M83 and Phoenix.

Past performance experience includes a tour of Ontario, and providing support for fellow Canadian acts such as The Acorn, Wintersleep, The Most Serene Republic, Ohbijou, and Two Hours Traffic.

With the release of The Golden Hour EP in January 2012, Ocean City Defender looks forward to playing often and everywhere.

SELECTED PRESS:

“The Golden Hour has set the bar very high for electro-pop in 2012. This is essential listening for anyone with ears and a heartbeat.” - Voyage North (CBC Radio One)

“There is a familiar feeling to the music of Ocean City Defender that wraps itself around the listener like a fuzzy blanket. The lush synth-pop of The Golden Hour weaves danceable beats through earnest, muted vocals and foggy guitars that capture the conflicting urges to dance or just sit and smile at the sun…” - !earshot

“You don’t have to dig very deep in his material to hear the wide range of 80’s post-punk influences that play out vicariously through a more modern love for warm and dreamy synth-pop. Using a steady wall of lush instrumentals and hazy vocals, OCD’s K. Preston Merkley makes a habit of breaking the pattern you might expect a solo performer to find sanctuary in.” - BIRP.fm

“The mellow waves flow like Simple Minds, New Order (but smoother), Yaz, etc.” - Berkeley Place Blog

CONTACT:

oceancitydefender@gmail.com