‘You remind me of my ex’ – are there any more hurtful words? The reference to you in relation to something else, something that came before, something, maybe, that you might not be. Was that initial interest driven by familiarity to something else? Something, better?
Listening to Oversize’s promising 2022 EP ‘Into The Ceiling’ you can’t help think that there’s something about it, something… familiar. Something about the early 2000’s alt-rock mixed with shoegaze, the swirl of chorus pedals, the softened vocals, the hints of noise that reveals danger stirring beneath its surface – and then it hits, realisation dawns – they sound like My Vitriol – a band that could never follow-up their debut, an unlived promise, a great untapped reservoir, and what if, what if Oversize could fill that space?
Love is a complex thing. A simple word for an emotion that is anything but. A changing, shifting relationship between the self and another that can be felt despite, or perhaps because of, its faults. What we’re talking about here is Oversize, a band who love post-hardcore, alternative metal, shoegaze, emo and 90’s alternative music and, basically, end up making music that amalgamates all those things and presents them with passion, what we’re talking about is their debut album ‘Vital Signs’.
The album features ten tracks and in many ways they function like a suite, with each song feeling distinctive yet, because they’re threaded together by chorus-laced guitars, the whole thing flows nicely together. That said, the songs that work best as standalones like the single ‘Fall Apart’ feel like slightly misshapen pieces. Nevertheless, they contribute to the whole, to this feeling. This careful construction makes the runtime feel effortless and, though the songs are relatively short for this type of music, it’s an immersive 35-minute journey.
While this is clearly cut from the same cloth as their 2022 EP, there is a subtle evolution in the sound, a slightly different expression of similar ideas, it’s growth but in a way that feels natural. That said, it’s difficult to become more shoegazy without sacrificing things like structure, edges or even distinctive sounds and (unsurprisingly) they’re reluctant to go that far. So although it’s a softer sound, songs like ‘Daretomove’ or ‘Stalling’ have quite a harsh lines and there are riffs laced through ‘From Hell’ that could strip paint. The real difference to the band’s earlier work is Sam McCauley’s approach to vocals. They’re softer, blurred almost. Yes, his choice of words is important but it’s more about the way his voice ebbs and flows and how he’s threaded through the tapestry rather than dominating it.
Shoegaze is a genre typified by layers of guitar effects like chorus and flangers, by soundscapes made of softened edges and bydistant, unfocused vocals. Oversize fall into the more modern iteration Nu-gaze, which means, basically, influenced by Deftones. Glibness aside (there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this) Deftones have such a distinctive guitar sound you can hear their influence miles away, especially when it’s as unsubtle as the chugging and slides on songs like ‘Fall Apart’ and ‘The Incline’. However, it does offer an extra dimension to the band’s work and brings the overall sound toward something Loathe fans would enjoy.
At its best, and though it sounds slightly peculiar to say, it’s actually on more generic songs like ‘Vital Signs’ and ‘Vacant’ which band sound most distinctive, where the warmth of the guitar tones and hazy vocals interact in ways you’ve heard before but not quite like this. Ironically, the most striking guitar parts are also the most typically shoegazey. There’s a reason that simple, flowing lines bathed in modulation effects are a genre staple and guitarists Tazz Edwards and Lewis Lennane-Emm have made wise choices. So while the leads on ‘SALT’ or the picking on ‘Something Clean’ feel familiar, these established sounds are welcoming and remarkably effective. By using a combination of these basics and throwing more interesting ideas into the mix they manage to create a sound that shifts and changes while retaining a soul. That’s why it works as well as it does. In effect, it’s all about personality and while there’s a feeling they haven’t quite committed to it the overall effect is both impressive and immensely likable.
If you’ve loved and lost, find comfort in the familiar or fancy a slightly sordid affair with rough-edged shoegaze ‘Vital Signs’ is definitely worth checking out. It’s a confident and passionate piece of work.
IAN KENWORTHY