Released: 16th August 2019
Rating: ★★★
Setting the scene perfectly for the ever-fastening apocalypse, Oh Sees are back in their psych-saddle and ready to set fire to the world one fuzzed-up solo at a time. Delving into depths murkier than Beelzebub’s bathwater, their latest release is a journey through the acid-heavy districts of hell on a bone-shaking bus fuelled by the nightmares of fully grown men who should know better.
A vicious sound that puts Johnny Rotten and his ilk to shame, ‘Face Stabber’ is a full-blown case of the band ripping open a new dimension with their bare hands and plunging their fists deep inside having no regard for the consequences. Regulated structures and familiarity are cast aside throughout and it’d be hard to escape this aural maze if a mad scientist threw you into the centre without the absolute minimum of a wah pedal for guidance.
Funk meets punk, psychedelia, grunge and all the other stageful genres in a cataclysmic riot of maleficent sonic booms. Starting with what could be a squeaking dog toy and ending with a 21-minute freak out that even Springsteen might think is ‘a bit much’ are brave decisions yet at this point fall firmly into the wheelhouse of an outfit who have surpassed the 20 album mark and yet keep things fresher than a dentist’s breath.
Not for the ordinary people, but a wilder walk than this may never have been ventured before. Ancient proverbs say enter at your own risk, but only a fool would be happy to miss this mind-bending cacophony.
Ciaran Steward
