Ocean. Night. Winter. Heart. Ambition. Honesty. It is these fundamentals that make up Bright Knights and their debut album, The Ocean and The Night.

A five piece from Melbourne, Bright Knights are brothers Karl and Nicholas Russo, cousin Nick Russo (Big Nick) and long time friends Al Murrell and Callum Reeves. It was their passion for inspired music that saw them come together to found Bright Knights in 2007. Before forming, all five members had notched up quite a few years of experience on the local indie scene and it was these combined hard yards and a strong desire to validate their existence as a band that led all five boys to know that what they wanted most was to record an album.

And so, in the chilly Melbourne winter of 2007, Bright Knights headed down to an isolated piece of coastline in southern Victoria, where they got busy writing songs. Over the next twelve months, while all working full time jobs, the band managed to slowly build demos of these songs in their home studio.

In winter 2008, the band sent these sketches to their favourite producers, looking to find someone who loved the songs as much as they did. Testament to the strength of the songs, the man at the top of their list, Scott Horscroft (Silverchair, The Presets, The Sleepy Jackson, The Temper Trap) hit them back with interest, and fittingly in winter 2009, Bright Knights set off to record the album in Scott’s Sydney studio, Big Jesus Burger (BJB). After just three weeks, Bright Knights proudly emerged from these sessions armed with their debut album, The Ocean And The Night - produced and mixed by Scott, and engineered by Chris Townend (Silverchair, Portishead, The Lucksmiths). Albeit out of step in the current musical climate, Bright Knights are a band interested in crafting strong albums... albums that grow and last, just like their favourite records from Bowie (Station To Station), The National (Alligator) or Death Cab For Cutie (Plans). “We aren't interested in superficial melodies and throwaway lines. Our songs are literate and structurally bold,” says Nicholas, “making something with substance... a good, honest record was really important to us.” He goes on to explain, “being a little older as a band has meant that we have all experienced life at a different level to when we were younger and playing in bands... marriage, day jobs, careers, love and loss... being more experienced means that there is a lot more to draw on and for that reason this album comes from a considered and honest place.”

The Ocean And The Night is a timeless work that is cohesive enough to read as a complete package but with diversity to maintain the listener’s interest, containing a lush mix of sparse and rich textures. Lonely guitars, atmospheric synth pads and breathy vocal layers set the mood, while the disciplined rhythm section continually builds the arrangements. It is the delicate combination of space and melody that sets this album aside from the rest, with every part and lyric holding its place within the song. The song writing on The Ocean And The Night is thoughtful and honest and speaks of a general resignation towards life, “A lot of the lyrical themes relate to the of loss of hope... being beat up by life,” explains Nicholas. Although lyrically many of the songs tell tales of woe; “You said you’d stay you swear to me, but you’re the first to run,” Bright Lights; “we’ve got stars in our eyes if we take to the sky in this weather,” This Love; “The air that’s left is burning out, we’re drowning and the waves are like a fire,” Black Cars, it is the bold, upbeat and cohesive instrumentation that ultimately triumphs, leaving even the darker songs glimmering with buoyant resolve. Perhaps the best example of this is the band’s collective favourite song on the album, Cold Faces. Its moody beginning solemnly narrates, “today I felt death blow through me, but it had nothing on a stiff winter’s breeze,” with Nicholas telling, “it starts off very dark, but it’s got this back end that fights back and is pretty defiant and full of conviction.” “It makes you wanna punch the air and march, it's a great moment on the record,” Karl adds.

The spontaneous delivery of The Ocean And The Night is reflective of the fast paced recording sessions, while the sounds on the record resolutely portray the strong influence that the cold, wintry landscape and the lonely, starry nights had on the album’s creation. Big Nick speaks fondly of the recording trip, “remembering the mess and chaos as we loaded into BJB and the feeling of anticipation of what we were undertaking stands as a real highlight.” Karl adds, "The long drive back to where we were staying and the glow of the moon over the water each night as we sneaked around to the back door is one of the fondest memories for me."

Out of equal parts necessity and desire for creative control, Bright Knights are innovative and hands on when it comes to promoting their music. They create all of their own artwork and design, build and run their own web-sites. The band also create all video clips from inception to completion. Big Nick works in animation and design, Nicholas and Karl are both architects, Callum works in the wine business and Al is a professional snowboarder, so it becomes very evident that creativity is the connector between the five individuals. Since returning to Melbourne with album in hand, word has started to spread about Bright Knights and the transformation from studio dwellers to a working rock band has been made with a successful foray in to the live arena through packed shows at some of Melbourne's boutique live music venues; selling out gigs at The Evelyn, The Workers Club and The Grace Darling.

The first single, This Love, is chilled out with smooth vocals and an irresistible hook. Richard Kingsmill from Triple J gave the single a 4 out of 5, saying, "I thought this was going to be all dark and moody and without a speck of joy. But it won me over by the chorus. And then some strings come in. The stars come out and I'm wanting more...". Kingsmill also gave kudos to the band, tweeting that Bright Knights are "…an unearthed band worth checking out".

The band sum up their debut album perfectly, stating, “there is little reward for an impatient appetite, but if you’re willing to give The Ocean And The Night some time, it will burn its way in to your heart.”

A limited edition (hand numbered by the band) of The Ocean And The Night was released in winter of 2010 with a full scale release to follow in 2011.