With its funky wah guitar and buttery bass licks, Ocean Alley’s mellow 2018 single “Confidence” might not seem like a career-making breakout. But thanks to its slow and sultry earworm chorus, the song topped triple j’s publicly voted Hottest 100 countdown in the band’s native Australia. Formed in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Ocean Alley have perfected a breezy blend of modern dub and reggae with vintage psych-rock: Witness Angus Goodwin’s guitar solo during “Lemonworld”. Tying it all together is distinctive frontman Baden Donegal, who radiates the easy-going assurance of someone who’s grown up close to the coast. Yet he can also evoke the delicate smoulder of classic soul on romantic ballads like “Knees”, all while his bandmates maintain a jammy openness—especially drummer Tom O’Brien and keyboardist Lachlan Galbraith. It’s no wonder that the six-piece ensemble have developed a robust following in New Zealand, where their sound isn’t so distant from local reggae heavyweights.