At some point, the music press are going to get bored with the new wave of lo-fi music that’s geisering out of London right now like a broken oil well. But I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon, especially if bands keep releasing songs as good as “Almost Island”.
PHOTO: OWEN RICHARDS
Fair Ohs are a tight three-piece gang of brodudes, and feature the righteous Matt Flag on bass; the gentleman responsible for the burgeoning Suplex Cassettes label. Starting out as a hardcore band with a boner for Black Flag and being messy and speedy, Fair Ohs have since spread their sonic net a little further. At the recent Male Bonding Sub Pop signing party, I witnessed first hand their transformation into afro-pop wizards, replete with a surfeit of chiming guitars, and call and response vocals. Cos I’m pretentious, I kept thinking of the word ‘ebullient’, while everyone else poured Bud on their heads and rolled on the floor. Yeah I know, I’m a nerd, but with all these tricky time signatures, I suspect Fair Ohs might well be too.
“Almost Island” is the first recorded documentation of their new sound and is due out very soon as a 7″ on Sex is Disgusting. You could call it “post-authenticity indie” (erm, good one Pitchfork); you could call it “tropical punk”. I’d prefer to call it really exciting and you just listen to it. Deal?
Fair Ohs – “Almost Island”
