Almost a decade on from We Are The Ocean’s split, Liam Cromby is holding nothing back – celebrating his past while looking ahead to a wide-open future. Announcing second solo album Whole Damn Life, the singer-songwriter tells K! about reconnecting with fans, finally feeling content, and the value of doing things that scare you…
Stay in school, kids, and you might just end up hanging out with your favourite musician. Or, indeed, getting taught by them. It’s a chilly weekday in February and Liam Cromby has just finished up a lecture on songwriting – a vocation he’s taken up within the past few years, following the 2017 break-up of his band, Essex post-hardcore favourites We Are The Ocean.
“It’s great, I love it,” he enthuses of his newfound calling in life, perched in front of a giant whiteboard. “We just did a creative ensemble, so we had the students going off and they’re creating bands or groups, and there’s a band that are into their heavy music. There’s times where they’ll mention a band like Don Broco. In my head I’m like, ‘Oh man, I know those guys!’”
Before he got into teaching, first Liam earned himself a degree in the subject. And despite modestly keeping his past rock star life on the down-low, it didn’t stay secret for long…
“When I started my degree, I didn’t tell anyone where I’d come from – I didn’t want to tread on toes or anything,” he admits. “But one of the students in my class was like, ‘I saw We Are The Ocean with my mum and dad when I was younger!’ I’m embracing it a bit more now, and I’m proud of it, you know? I feel more comfortable and accepting of it.”
As well as a chance to give back and open up young minds to the magic of music, a fresh outlook on songwriting has helped Liam overcome his own struggles. Having found that his “well of creativity” was drying up as WATO came to an end, he’s been able to use his wealth of knowledge and understanding to make sure that never happens again.
“When I’m teaching, it’s not just going, ‘This chord goes well with this chord,’ but it’s talking about how to not find yourself in that place where you can’t express yourself, because that’s no good for anyone,” he explains. “I love that I get to repurpose my experience of We Are The Ocean and give that a new life. And I’m constantly inspired by these young students. They’re writing songs that are just like, ‘Wow, that’s really good!’”
It’s been such a fruitful endeavour, in fact, that Liam’s been creating plenty of his own music lately. Following 2023 solo debut What Can I Trust, If I Can’t Trust True Love, he’s back with forthcoming second LP Whole Damn Life, arriving on May 29. On the day of release, the singer-songwriter and his band The Morning Star will also headline Dingwalls 2 in Camden, London, and properly kick off a whole new chapter of pure artistry, authenticity and adventure.
“With my journey from We Are The Ocean to leaving music and coming back to it again, the one thing that I think is true for me is the honesty in the lyrics, and trying to tell my story and be brave,” he shares. “I really want to stick my name on the wall and make sure that, every time I write something, I’m not trying to hide.”
Here, we catch up with Liam to find out where he’s been – and, more excitingly, what’s to come…
You’ve just announced your second solo album, Whole Damn Life. What’s the feeling like at the moment – is it different to how it was surrounding your debut a couple of years ago?
“Oh yeah, it does feel different. I think it’s because there’s a hell of a lot more We Are The Ocean fans on board this time! With my first solo album, first of all, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to release it – I just recorded it for myself, because I wanted to know if I could do it again. That album was more of a case of, ‘I need to do this for me.’ And second time round, it feels like there’s a bit more direction and a bit more of a vision of where I wanted to go, and who I wanted to write for. It’s very much an album for WATO fans, I think, because it’s full of references and there are stories in there – there’s a song called Looking Back which touches on the band breaking up, but also being okay with it at this point in my life. It’s seeing it as a positive thing, and being grateful just for the journey in itself.
“So, you know, moving into this album and show announcement, I do still get those nerves, but I feel good. I feel content, like I’m where I’m meant to be. All this work going back into music has led me to this point.”
When WATO were coming to an end, you’d spoken about struggling with the pressure. What’s that like this time around, because from the outside it seems like you’ve built things back up really naturally and on your own terms?
“It is a completely different experience in that the only pressure I find is the pressure I put on myself. That just comes with wanting to do the best job I can. And to add to that, I’m surrounded by some of the best people that you could ask for as a solo artist. My band, The Morning Star, I’ve got Alfie Scully [who used to be in WATO], he’s helping me, as well as his partner Shawn who is the backing singer. It’s amazing to have people around that are like, ‘Look, there doesn’t have to be an end goal with this. We just want to support you because we believe in you and we love doing this thing.’ I couldn’t ask for anything else, and I’m so grateful for it. So there’s no pressure in that sense – it’s just excitement and a warm feeling. I feel like I’m coming home.”
Do you have any non-negotiables where it’s like, ‘If things take off in that way again, I need to do X, Y and Z so I don’t get burnt out’?
“Absolutely. I’ve been in and out of counselling since 2019, and that helped basically give me boundaries. And I’ve also worked with Tonic Music who are a great mental health charity for music industry folk, who give you the tools to be able to look after yourself in those moments of burnout, because it does happen. Just knowing now, if I’m writing a song and it’s not coming through today, then I can just put it down!
“Listen, if lightning strikes twice for me then happy days, but if it doesn’t, it’s totally fine. I was so lucky enough to experience what We Are The Ocean was. And as much as I’m doing this for me, I want to do it for the fans as well – for the people who message to say, ‘This song got me through this time.’ That’s my purpose, and that’s why I want to continue doing this and bringing those songs with me.”
Speaking of which, you’ve been utilising TikTok and Instagram to reconnect with those fans. There is a big issue these days of feeling like you have to be a slave to the algorithm, but it seems like quite an easy, wholesome thing for you. How important has social media been?
“I’m 38 – going on nearly 40! – and so the idea of putting myself on TikTok and Instagram, I do find it really funny sometimes. But I’m doing it on my terms, and I’m just taking it for what it is – it’s such an important tool, and a great way of reconnecting or connecting with a fanbase. I want to do the best I can for my music and myself – I’d be crazy not to, you know? But it depends how you do it. I’m not going to be dancing (laughs), although I am cringing a bit at myself, but I think it’s important to put myself in positions where there’s a bit of fear there. And with lecturing as well, I talk about my experiences and being an independent artist now, and I can’t tell them about doing X, Y and Z without doing it myself – I feel like leading by example is the best way to teach.”
You made Whole Damn Life at Middle Farm Studios with longtime collaborator Peter Miles, where you also did three WATO records. Have things changed much since then?
“It’s definitely changed in the sense that things have moved and there’s new equipment, and since we were there there’s been some really cool bands that have recorded. But for me personally, it’s the same old room. I also recorded my debut there, and that was part of the healing process: coming back to Middle Farm and seeing if I could do it again. When I turned up, that was a really emotional time, actually, because I’ve had some of the best and some of the worst times there, but it was always that special place. It was scary for sure, but again, everything I do now is about: if it scares me, then I want to put myself in the firing line and push myself, because it feels good on the other side. Going back again and working with Pete for this album was only fitting.”
It’s an autobiographical album and you’re exploring all sorts of emotions – everything from grief and mental health to friendship. With it now all done and ready to go, does it ultimately feel like a positive or optimistic album, on the other side of things?
“Yeah, it does. It’s like a full-circle moment: it’s my whole damn life! It encapsulates everything up to this moment. I think in order to be able to move on to the next stage, I needed to tell this story. And so yeah, it does feel optimistic, and it just feels very honest. It feels like it was probably the most honest and bravest I’ve been with in my lyric writing since I started writing songs. It just feels good, man.”
It must have been really rewarding and cathartic for you, but what do you hope that others get from it?
“I hope it helps them, and I hope it connects with them and makes them feel something – whether that’s remembering something or just getting them through a part of their day, that’s enough for me. With my journey back into music, that actually started with busking, and what I learned was when I’d play a cover song, someone might come up to me and say, ‘Thank you, I really needed to hear that song today.’ And so I realised, ‘Wow, it’s not really about me.’ It’s about doing this thing, and in that process, someone feels something and there’s that human connection. Like with We Are The Ocean albums before, I hope that people just connect with it. Or just singing it in the car – if they can have a nice time doing that, then great!”
WATO were part of a proper UK rock scene back then, but it feels like the music world you’ve come back into has changed a lot. Where do you see yourself in that regard, or are you just like, ‘I’m in my own lane doing my own thing, and that’s cool’?
“I think I’m just in my own lane. We Are The Ocean was part of an amazing scene, and I’m so proud of it. And I see the bands that are still going from that scene – and I’m so proud of them. Seeing Don Broco and Nickelback together! I was just talking with Si [Delaney, guitarist], because you stay in touch with some of these people, and I was honestly so proud. What it does for the culture is just huge. But this time, I think I’m on my own in this thing, and I think that’s good!”
You’ve got your Dingwalls headline show coming up, and you’ve already said you’re gonna play WATO stuff. What songs are you most excited about revisiting?
“There are so many songs that I want to play with this project, and I think every time we’re gonna play or tour, it’ll change. I think for this first show, we’re going to do some of the big hits, and then after that I’d like to explore songs like Before I Die from [2011 second album] Go Now And Live, which wasn’t a single but it’s just a great song – that’s one I really loved. I can’t wait to play The Waiting Room again, and Young Heart as well. And then moving forwards there’ll be deep cuts, too! There is a conversation about a tour at the end of summer, and it will be like the Dingwalls show, but more.”
What are your hopes for where things could go from here? Do you want to get back to full-time touring life, or are you quite happy with seeing how it goes, rather than any big ‘I’m gonna take over the world!’ vibes?
“I’ve never been the ‘take over the world’ guy! I’m about the journey now, and I don’t know where this journey will take me, but as long as I’m present and I’m enjoying it, and there’s people that are along for the ride, then that’s all I need. If we go on tour again and play festivals, then don’t get me wrong, I love doing that stuff and I’d love to do it again. But who knows? I’m just always thinking, ‘I’m gonna work as hard as I can on everything, and whatever comes after that, comes after that.’ Hopefully the sky is the limit.”
Whole Damn Life is due out on May 29. Liam Cromby + The Morning Star will play an album release show at London’s Dingwalls 2 on the same day – get your tickets here.
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