The Ocean is Fake Lyrics — J⁠P⁠E⁠G⁠M⁠a⁠f⁠i⁠a

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Artists: Flume & JPEGMAFIA
• Producers: Flume & JPEGMAFIA
• Writers: Flume, JPEGMAFIA, Francis Hornsby Clark, Vegyn
• Album: We Live In A Society
• Track: 4
• Release Date: 2025-05-02
• Genre: Future Bass, EDM, Spoken Word
• Language: English
• Sample: “Miss Understood” by Headache
• Label: Independent / Flume

All copyrights © 2025 Flume

Song Meaning and Annotations

“The Ocean Is Fake” by Flume & JPEGMAFIA plays like a warped voicemail from the Matrix. Dreamy, glitched, and unmoored from linear time, the track explores disconnection — from relationships, from reality, from the self. And yes, the title is exactly what it sounds like: a metaphysical mic drop.

Swimming in Surrealism

The opening chorus by Flume drips with melancholy:

'Cause we're goin' all for the reason / Nothing's gonna be the same, oh no, no

Like someone lost in a fever dream of a breakup, he doesn’t know what season it is, and more importantly, doesn't know who he's even talking to anymore. The "ocean" — possibly once a metaphor for emotion or depth — is declared fake, like someone realized the waves are made of code.

JPEGMAFIA’s Reality Riff

Enter JPEGMAFIA, cutting through the dreamscape with razor wit and sarcasm:

Look how I Eurostep that bullshit like Jokić

He’s not just dancing around pain; he’s finessing it like an NBA highlight reel. His lines layer internet-age absurdism with chaotic truth bombs — mistresses, mistrust, and mental noise colliding in a spiral of disillusionment. When he raps:

Bitch, the ocean is fake

— it’s not just a metaphor. It’s a rejection of perceived reality, or maybe a swipe at the falsity of emotional performances, filtered through social media haze. The idea that even nature, even something as eternal as an ocean, might be illusory — it’s paranoia, sure. But it's also weirdly relatable.

Glitchy Intimacy

Flume’s production plays a key role in bending the track’s emotional logic. Autotuned loops, time warps, and detuned melodies mirror the lyrical uncertainty. It’s not just what they say — it’s how distorted the world feels around them. If “The Ocean Is Fake,” it’s because everything’s been uploaded, filtered, forgotten, and memed.

Similar Songs

1. “Pink + White” – Frank Ocean
   Frank also turns the ocean into metaphor — but his waves are personal, heavy with memory and loss. While Flume & JPEGMAFIA reject the ocean as real, Frank lets it drown him in nostalgia. Both songs are meditations on transience, though Frank’s version is tender where “The Ocean Is Fake” is nihilistic.
2. “Hide” – Juice WRLD & Seezyn
   There's a thematic crossover here: emotional fatigue and the impulse to withdraw. Juice WRLD laments visibility and vulnerability, just as JPEGMAFIA masks authenticity with bravado. Both tracks embody the paradox of wanting to be understood — but not fully seen.
3. “Machine” – Imagine Dragons
   With its anti-system rebellion, “Machine” carries the same disillusioned energy as “The Ocean Is Fake.” Where Flume and JPEGMAFIA tackle digital alienation, Imagine Dragons rails against societal programming. It’s the same digital dystopia, seen from different glitchy corners.

Questions and Answers

What does “The Ocean Is Fake” mean?

It’s a metaphor suggesting that even natural or emotional truths can feel artificial in the digital age. It's also a critique of constructed realities, from relationships to media perceptions.

Who produced the track?

The production is handled by both Flume and JPEGMAFIA, blending glitch-hop, future bass, and abstract rap into a textured, nonlinear soundscape.

Is there a story behind the song?

While not a narrative song, it thematically explores disconnection and digital-era detachment. JPEGMAFIA and Flume riff off each other’s styles to blur the lines between sincerity and satire.

What is the role of the sample “Miss Understood”?

The sample from Headache’s “Miss Understood” adds a fragmented, almost dreamlike echo that amplifies the track’s emotional fragmentation. It supports the track’s ghostly vibe.

Why is the structure so disjointed?

That’s intentional — the fractured structure reflects the disorientation of modern communication. Hooks repeat like corrupted files, refrains loop out of rhythm, and dialogue bleeds into verses. It’s meant to confuse and provoke thought.

Fan and Media Reactions

"I laughed, then I rewound. 'The ocean is fake' might be the realist thing said all year." – @NeoStreamTheory

"JPEGMAFIA went full abstract here — not sure I get it all, but I *felt* that line about snakes as friends." – @TrapHausOracle

"This sounds like a digital anxiety attack, and I mean that as a compliment." – @glitchnprayerz

"It’s like therapy from the future. They just don’t care about making it clean or clear, and that’s art." – @lofiwastaken

"The beat, the vibe, the chaos — 2025 in one song." – @hoverboard_goth