Bristol rock group Oswald Slain share their brand new single ‘UGLY’, taken from their debut EP ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’ due in April.
Born from the creative cocoon of their home studio, Oswald Slain is a testament to both personal growth and musical evolution. Recorded over the miserable January of 2024, Oswald Slain’s music reflects a period of introspection and growth. Having reconciled with the chaos of youth and the trials of aging, lyricist Fitz channels these experiences into sincere, humorous, evocative songwriting alongside the timeless swagger of old retro rock records.
Produced in-house in their DIY home studio and mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering (PJ Harvey, XTC, Big Special), “UGLY” lifts the red curtain on the darker side of the 70’s adult entertainment industry.
Oswald Slain has kindly taken the time to chat with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding their latest single and upcoming album and you can find the full interview below.
Hey Oswald Slain, thank you for this interview. Can you start by introducing yourselves to readers who might be unfamiliar with your music?
Hi, We like to write songs, make records and occasionally flop about on stage. We don’t like being late and we don’t like running.
What inspired the creation of Oswald Slain?
Well we were known as Little Thief for a long time and did lots of shows and made a record that we love but felt like it was time for a clean slate. We spent a month or so at home recording and decided to move away from the riff rock music we were known for into a style that resonated with us more. After we had a bunch of tunes down we took the difficult decision to change our name and move forward under a different moniker. So I guess Oswald Slain was more of an evolution than a creation but it came from a sincere place of growth and a new love for creating music.
How would you currently describe your musical style?
It’s a bit of melting pot but touches on rock, Indie and old 70’s records. We focussed on honest songwriting a lot and enjoy bringing out classic feel good flavours to go with them. I guess you could respectfully compare it to the Band and Neil Young with some Strokes alongside some fun raw DIY production.
You just released the new single “UGLY”. How did the idea for this song come together?
The lyrical idea behind the track is that we tend to show our best selves as much as we can but you don’t really know someone until you have seen them at their worst. In a way I guess it can be the most liberating to be at your worst… whether that is slobbing about in your pants binging Netflix and ordering dominoes, or at 5:00am after one too many beverages on the Saturday night of a festival. We wanted a scrappy guitar based sound to go with this and found it all came together nicely in our little studio out the back of our house.
What does this song mean to you?
I think it’s romantic to love someone no matter what state they are in. I also really like how visceral the verse lyrics are and how tacky and fun the chorus is.
What message would you like listeners to take from this song?
Just to feel good about themselves and free from being too well behaved.
This song is from the upcoming debut EP ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’. What inspired you to create this EP?
The EP is part of a bigger body of work and the tracks on the EP all fell in quite nicely together. It certainly has a childlike element to it for me and I guess it’s a bit about me leaving youth behind. I liked the idea of it being on an old cassette walkman and imagined I was a kid riding a BMX around the suburbs of the city. I know that’s not what kids do now but I did a lot when I was younger.
What are some of the things listeners can anticipate from the upcoming EP?
It’s honest and authentic and isn’t afraid of being painted in a bad light. All the tunes are pretty upbeat and dreamy and aim to capture the simple idea of the freedom you feel after growth.
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
If you have taken the time to read this, thank you so much for showing an interest and we are humbly forever grateful for your support x
You can check out “UGLY” on Spotify below or on more platforms here.
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