Some Words About Oeugons Are Real’s SAY IT AGAIN WITH DIFFERENT WORDS
Jesus Christ, this album slaps. (Is that professional? No. Do all my reviews have to be professional? Also no, this fucking slaps.) If you wanted something with a hint of new wave, but more hardcore and with a LOT more math, Oeugons Are Real is the band for you. This band absolutely nails combining 80s sounds, math rock, new wave, prog, indie, and hardcore into a gorgeous amalgam that takes your breath away upon every listen. This EP slaps you in the face with a thick slice of sound and tucks you into bed inside of bellowing vocals, throbbing bass, and heavy guitar. One can hear a little Mars Volta, a little Smiths, a dash of early AFI, a dash of Rush…maybe it’s unfair to compare this trio to other bands because they incorporate the best parts of so many genres and make something that is totally their own.
On one of my listens to “SAY IT AGAIN WITH DIFFERENT WORDS” today, I was enjoying it while taking a shower and very nearly took myself out by bopping too hard during “life is fallegt.” Thanks to this track, I also learned that “fallegt” is “beautiful” in Icelandic. The track is full of energy and hits the ground running with lush vocals, heavy on the reverb, and high power guitar. “life is fallegt” runs into “others reject the very concept,” which sends shivers down your spine with panned, echoey spoken word and roomy organ. The poetry behind every track seeps into your mind and continues to reverberate around your skull, causing you to ruminate on the human condition and spirituality.
With Tristan Zemtseff on guitar/vocals, Andy Eisen on bass/vocals, and Courtney McNally on drums, Oeugons Are Real have crafted an excellent prog/math rock EP that has just the right amount of fizziness around the edges. If there were one thing I wish for when listening to the EP, it’s for slightly more consistent and rich production. There are a couple of moments where the mix isn’t quite as powerful as it could be, but that’s also coming from a person who knows full well that they’re being nitpicky. Listening to this EP made me want to go see Oeugons live because I’m sure that the live space is where they thrive even more than they do on a record, though they absolutely killed this EP in so many ways.
Listen to/download “SAY IT AGAIN WITH DIFFERENT WORDS” here:
Follow Oeugons Are Real on Facebook for events and further releases:
