Oh No Oh My New Album 'People Problems' Set For Release Next Week
Monday, 28 February 2011
Written by Jon Stickler
'People Problems', the brilliant new Oh No Oh My album is being physically released via Mouelleux Records on March 7th.
A lot has changed for Oh No Oh My since the initial rush of hype and success received from their quickly recorded, self-titled and self-released debut album that led to see them tour with the likes of Mew, the Flaming Lips and Gnarls Barkley - whilst also having their music plastered all over TV and movie screens for programmes like ‘Weeds’ and adverts for films such as ‘Juno’. For a start they released two EPs; ‘Between the Devil & the Sea’ and ‘Dmitrij Dmitrij’. So then what happened? Oh No Oh My grew up. Priorities manifested. A new focus set in. And the result of all that is ‘People Problems,’ the group’s first new music in three years and, in essence, the band’s first “real” album.
It’s with ‘People Problems’ that fans of their previous releases will really notice this progression. They’ve developed a more mature sound to match a seemingly more abstract (and quite often dark) set of inspirations. In essence such insights into their experiences show this album is not simply a collection of songs scrambled together but instead 12 grandly small stories of the regular and the ordinary, the unusual and the exceptional- each taking turns to sneak in as songs only to turn around and reveal that they’re actually reminders of what it’s like to be a person. A person with problems.
What makes the entire album such an intriguing piece of work is that Oh No Oh My’s musical style appears awkwardly cobbled with their broad, yet diverse lyrical references. Whilst their lyrics broach the topics of killing overbearing parents, a wrongfully convicted man, life’s meaninglessness, and even the bone-filled crypts of the Capuchin monks- these often seemingly oppressive topics never quite seem to equal what one might perceive as formulaic musical styles to match them. As lead singer Daniel Hoxmeier states in regards to the lively tempo, quiet percussion and subtle horns on ‘Again Again’; “It’s quite pretty for a song about reaching down someone’s throat”
With such an rousing collection of experiences creating the subject matter for the album, understanding the thoughts behind these songs enables us to fully appreciate ‘People Problems’ on an entirely different level. The band have gone one step further with this concept, by creating and updating a website (www.people-problems.com) that showcases both random people and fans they have met whilst on tour who are willing to publically share their own (and often bizarre) ‘people problems’ on camera.
Austin, Texas-based Oh No Oh My are currently nearing the end of their two month European tour before hitting up SXSW and starting another US tour. Check out the upcoming UK and Ireland dates below.
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