OSEES – “Intercepted Message”

Rich Homie Quan talked the talk, but John Dwyer walks the walk: The man will never stop going in. The prolific underground rock legend stayed busy with a zillion improvisational side projects during the pandemic, and it didn’t stop him from releasing a new album with main band OSEES last year. Now — on the release date of the new Live At Levitation — he’s already following up A Foul Form with Intercepted Message, another new OSEES LP.

Here’s Dwyer’s statement about the new album:

A pop record for tired times.
Sugared with bits of shatterproof glass to put more crack in your strap.
At long last, Verse / chorus
A weathered thesaurus
This is Osees bookend sound
Early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant
Have a whack at the grass or listen while flat on your ass
Heaps of electronic whirling accelerants to gum up your cheapskate broadband

Social media toilet scrapers unite!
Allow your 24 hour news cycle eyes to squint at this smiling abattoir doorman
You can find your place here at long last
All are welcome
From the get go to the finale …. A distant crackling transmission of 80s synth last-dance-of-the-night tune for your lost loves

Suffering from Politic amnesia?
Bored of AI-generated pop slop?
Then this one is for you, our friends

Wasteland wanderer, stick around.

Love y’all

For fans of Teutonic synth punk and Thee Oh Sees (who the fuck are they?)

– John Dwyer

Title track “Intercepted Message” is indeed on the poppier side of the Dwyer oeuvre, especially compared to the Coachwhips-ish aggression of something like the last album’s “Funeral Solution.” I’m pretty sure amidst the cartoonish keyboard sounds and nervy rhythms Dwyer utters, “Your king’s a cunt/ It keeps you dull.”

Watch the video below, where you can also stream Live At Levitation, which documents OSEES’ 2012 performance at the Austin psych fest.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Stunner”
02 “Blank Chems”
03 “Intercepted Message”
04 “Die Laughing”
05 “Unusual & Cruel”
06 “The Fish Needs A Bike”
07 “Goon”
08 “Chaos Heart”
09 “Submerged Building”
10 “Sleazoid Psycho”
11 “Always At Night”
12 “Ladwp Hold”

Intercepted Message is out in August via In The Red. Live At Levitation can be purchased here.