Oceania

Corgan later admitted that they switched back to the album format because he "...reached a point where I saw that the one-song-at-a-time idea had maxed itself out...I just saw we weren't getting the penetration in to everybody that I would have hoped." The band finished mixing the album on September 18, 2011. Bassist Nicole Fiorentino had this to say about her role in recording Oceania: "I think because we are all working together on this record it is naturally going to have a different vibe than any of the other records on which Billy played most of the instruments himself. I think we delved into new territory for sure, but what I love about this record is that it has that familiar old-school Pumpkins feel to it, with a modern twist. The cool thing is he was able to capture the energy of the old material without ripping it off. Billy's definitely found his way back to whatever he was tapping into when writing Gish and [Siamese Dream]." Guitarist Jeff Schroeder also hinted that the album may be less heavy than past albums, stating "In this day and age, with what’s going on politically and socially, it just feels right to play something that’s a little more spacey and dreamy. We want music to move people on an emotional level." In November 2011, the album's release date was pushed back to spring 2012 and announced via Twitter. Corgan has said that Oceania is the Pumpkins' "best effort since Mellon Collie". Comparing it to his previous works, he said, "it is the first time where you actually hear me escape the old band. I'm not reacting against it or for it or in the shadow of it." In describing Oceania's theme, Corgan said the album is partly about "people struggling to find a social identity in today's fast-paced, technology-rich culture", adding “I think alienation seems to be the key theme - alienation in love and alienation in culture,” he says.