The Vancouver-based Hey Ocean! made their last stop in the States before heading back to Canada this past Thursday at the LES’s local-favorite, Piano’s.

To say that this indie-pop band full of Caribbean infusements  is a new fave of mine, is not a stretch in the least. Ever since I got my hands on their catchy and upbeat album It’s Easier to be Somebody Else, I have been eager to see them live. Despite cold and rainy weather and an at-first thin crowd, Hey Ocean! gave an energetic and vibrant performance. Between Ashleigh Ball’s charming enthusiasm and both Daves (Beckingham on guitar and Vertesi on bass) incessant smiles, one couldn’t refuse their infectious attitude. After just a few songs, the crowd at the front bar caught on and began flowing in to see what all the commotion was about.

Ball commands the stage like a young Debbie Harry, leaving no space in time or on stage unfilled. Her voice is an interesting mix of the raw emotional quality of New Zealand critic-favorite Gin Wigmore and the soft playfulness of Regina Spektor. With decidedly refreshing  songs due to their youthful tropical-jazz sound and thematic yet honest lyrics, Hey Ocean! has begun to carve out their niche in this industry.

After a fun cover of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool,” which got the crowd interacting and singing along to every word, the group diverged into a full on percussion round; this led them into, none other, but a percussion-based rendition of the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

The show finished up with three great songs off It’s Easier to be Somebody Else: ”Alleyways,” “Fish” (during which they asked the crowd to serve as the horn section) and “Song About California.” All in all, this was an energetic and lively show. If you don’t live in Canada, it might be a while ’til you can see them again but Hey Ocean! did offer places to crash if you decide to stop by Vancouver.

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