Osees: SORCS 80
(Castle Face)
LP | CD | DL
Out 9th August 2024
Continuing through their fuzz-to-the-max gonzo-synth garage rock, Osees return with another total aural blast. Buckle in!
When a new album from that mischievous band of fuzz-maxed garage-rock chameleons Osees hits our desks, you know that here at Louder Than War some of us drop everything in anticipation. Given the heights that the band hit on Intercepted Message and Foul Form, the former a deep dive into their gonzo-synth garage minds, the latter a fuzz-rock bleeding red in the studio blast, we couldn’t wait to see where they were headed next. Another 10º twist and off on new sonic adventures.
On the basis of the first two songs, they seem to be ready to blend the two sides of their recent coin. Opener Look At The Sky riots with the same intense delivery of many of the songs they delivered on Foul Form, while Pixilated Moon, which follows, returns to their playful nature sounding like the band have been micro-dosing on Roxy Music in preparation. The way the second half of the verses takes a step up is subtle genius, elevating the song beyond the synth-garage stomper that lies beneath. It all makes sense when Dwyer himself describes the album as “Dexy’s Midnight Runners meets Von LMO meets The Flesh Eaters meets the Screamers kinda punk junk.”
Shedding their skin once again, in need of a fresh perspective, this time around he decided to go back to basics, demoing the songs with drum loops on a four-track before hooking up with Osees keyboardist Tomas Dolas to transcribe the songs and craft something that steps away from the guitar-to-the-fore blast from something at times much more percussive. It’s clearest early on in the mysteriously titled Also The Gorilla… The song twists over a stuttering groove, complemented by little bass runs and short synth blasts. The result is a song with so much air and space to dance to.
On songs like Drug City and Termination Officer, Dwyer also finds space for his more brass parts. Inspired by the sounds they were creating in the studio electronically, he went straight to the source and the addition is fantastic. The inclusion of Brad Caulkin on tenor sax ties parts of the album directly to Dwyer’s Witch Egg project, alongside Cailkin, and those more freeform jazz aspects shine through on songs such as Lear’s Ears. On songs like single Cassius, Brutus & Judas, the overlay the synths to create a dense sound that complements the motorik beats that run beneath.
However, recent single Earthling is probably the song, more than any other here, that brings all his visions together in one three-and-a-half-minute slice of playful joy. On its release, Dwyer said that the song was about “wanting to appeal to your human side and not all your demons and lesser emotions… over time we focus on putting things to rest that have haunted us for too long. Life is short so soak up good moments before they’re gone.” It’s that positive focus that comes through across the whole album.
On the continuously developing sound of the Osees, talking to us back in 2020, Dwyer said that “…it’s important to grow. We have a thing we do, obviously, and there’s a lot of formulas that we’re trying to break or hold onto depending on how we feel about them.” On SORCS 80, they continue in that vein. It’s an album that is immediately them but still distinct from all they’ve done before. Osees continue to be a band that shift and change within their own skin, always ready to step on fresh ground. Long may it continue.
Follow Osees on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.
SORCS 80 is available from Sister Ray.
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Words by Nathan Whittle. Find his Louder Than War archive here.
Nathan also presents From The Garage on Louder Than War Radio every Tuesday at 8pm. Tune in for an hour of fuzz-crunching garage rock ‘n’ roll and catch up on all shows on the From The Garage Mixcloud playlist.
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