Ocean to Ocean

"Ocean to Ocean" is the sixteenth studio album by American musician Tori Amos, released on October 29, 2021, through Decca Records. Written during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cornwall, England, the album features musicians collaborating remotely, with recording taking place in England, California, and Massachusetts. This marks Amos's first studio album since Midwinter Graces (2009) to feature her regular backing band: Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitar.

Amos described the album as focusing on "losses and how you cope with them." The pandemic, lockdown, and the death of her mother significantly influenced the album's lyrical themes. Musically, it retains her signature piano-centric sound, with her daughter Natashya Hawley contributing backing vocals on three tracks.

Though it peaked at number 104 on the Billboard 200, Ocean to Ocean received positive reviews from critics and reached the top 40 in six countries, including a peak of number 25 in the UK. Amos promoted the album with the singles "Speaking with Trees" and "Spies," along with the Ocean to Ocean Tour starting in 2022 and continuing through 2023.

This album is Amos's second release of new material during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the Christmastide EP in 2020. Early in 2021, she had prepared an album's worth of songs but felt they did not convey the sentiments she wanted. Instead, she wrote and recorded a new set of songs inspired by Cornwall's landscapes and ancient myths, with some lyrics reacting to the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Due to lockdown in Cornwall, most instruments aside from the piano were recorded outside of Martian Engineering Studios without Amos present. Tracks were sent to Chamberlain first, then to Evans, with string arrangements and backing vocals being the final touches. The musicians were unaware of how each other's contributions would affect the songs until later in the recording process. The album's sequencing was debated, with "Metal Water Wood" considered to open the album but ultimately deemed too literal.

"Addition of Light Divided" was inspired by a visit to a cave at Nanjizal Beach, as depicted in the album artwork. Amos noted the negative impact of lockdown on personal relationships, particularly her separation from her niece, as a source of inspiration. The lead single "Speaking with Trees" addresses the death of her mother and explores themes of connection to nature.