You know you’re a powerhouse when you can change your band’s name 75 times and not lose your footing. Team Dwyer has announced a new name, “Osees”, and a new single for a new record, which we’re pleased to share with you here. “If I had My Way” showcases the band’s return to the simple: short, kooky, playful and fuzzy. The production and structure reminds of Osees (The Oh Sees, Thee Oh Sees, OCS…) past, but that left turn towards heavy prog has left a jazzy aftertaste that places the single precisely where it should be in the Osees saga.
The band also announced a string of shows in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany, which felt pretty good to read. A sort of free-verse poem came with the announcement; it’s a bit like a call to arms, and the style of it is mirrored in the artwork of the upcoming LP, a metallic confusion that obscures the sky but retains its familiar blue. Osees offer us a “field recording from the pits” released “at the apogee of scuzz”, and Dwyer poses a question for us: “looking at all the extraordinary death in the world now you have to wonder, have you lived your best life?” The question had me thinking, if I had my way, I’d be as skilled at executing my will as John Dwyer is. Of course, Dwyer also offers a solution, “It’s never too late to start”.
Protean Threat is out September 18th on Castle Face Records.
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