Album Review: Oslow - 'No Longer Concerns Me'

Sydney emo/skramz heartstring twangers Oslow have proven literally groundbreaking; the floor collapsed at a recent house show they played. Figuratively, they’ve been making waves in Australia’s music scene for a while now, and their latest 7” ‘No Longer Concerns Me’ certainly affirms why.

The blue, two track release is packed with sentiment and shaky vibrations. ‘Fatigue’ bares its influences on its sleeve, in the vein of early 2000s fire-spitting emo. Its atmosphere is dim and cutting, with brash vocals at the helm. Each song Oslow crafts is a capsule of emotions with Brand New-competing intensity, but we’re not complaining.

‘Heirloom’ is equally affecting; it has power and imbalance, with vocals that make it dimensional and intricate riffs sewn into the track. Not to mention its lyrics, which are desperate and poetic, the kind that nestle themselves into your mind and don’t leave until sometime after. Here’s a reference point: “Brother can you hear me?/I’ve been talking so loud for so long I forgot what I was talking about”.

Despite its surprising solidity as a relatively small release, ‘No Longer Concerns Me’ does solicit one complaint: why isn’t it longer? Oslow are undoubtedly underrated, but the 7" suggests that won't be the case down the track.

Oslow tracks are blue feelings transformed into fiery sonic numbers. ‘No Longer Concerns Me’ will leave you emotionally attached and probably 70% more melancholic than you were when its almost-eight-minutes started playing. Just go with it.

1. Fatigue

2. Heirloom