After years of making a name for themselves on the live circuit, Bristol based alternative band Little Thief finally released their debut album ‘Under The Patio’ in 2021. While their recorded work didn’t quite capture the power of their stage presence – they were far and away the best band at a showcase for Funnel Records at the Music Hall in Ramsgate, a year or so before their album materialised – ‘Under The Patio’ was a fantastic record which suggested even greater things were ahead for vocalist/guitarist Charlie ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald and powerhouse drummer Rhii Williams.
The band split a short time later. Eventually re-emerging as members of Oswald Slain, Fitz and Rhii continued to sound great on their debut single ‘Happiness Is Overrated’. Against a heavy strum, a vocal drenched in effects delivered a hard edged melody that captured a superb 70s sneer, which in some ways, sounded like an extension of Little Thief’s more complex works. Bringing a new slant, the single also incorporated some hefty bar room piano and a choir of vocals that owed more to bands like Noah & The Whale than Little Thief’s obvious love for later period Arctic Monkeys. For those not entirely sold on this change of direction, a fiery lead break and a stripped back verse featuring a moody vocal worked very in drawing the ear even further into this track’s layered sound. As debut singles go, it certainly promised a lot for the road ahead.
Bizarrely, Oswald Slain have decided not to include that on their debut EP ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’, but then calling time on Little Thief just at the point where they seemed ready to embrace a whole world of new fans (it certainly seemed this way from an outsider’s point of view) shows that Fitz and Rhii aren’t necessarily keen on doing what’s expected of them. Nevertheless, the five tracks that make up this first release are all strong in their own way.
The lead track ‘Ugly’ is arguably one of the EP’s most direct, and it’s also one of the numbers that owes the most to the older Little Thief garage rock sound. It immediately hits upon a sizeable groove, but also showcases a huge, natural vocal against its steady rhythm. Bringing in a few fuzz guitars along the way, the track has a very organic sound which will definitely appeal to those who older material from the likes of The Strokes, but the big draw here is the chorus, which features Charlie going straight for the simplest of hooks. By spelling out the title, that hook may seem a little clichéd, but it’s delivered with the kind of panache and self-belief that makes it really shine. With a little more musical interest supplied by a pumping bassline and occasional bluesy guitar fills, this relatively raw workout is pleasingly full bodied, and since it’s in and out in approximately two and a half minutes, it leaves no room for padding. If this happens to be your first listen to these musicians, in some ways, you couldn’t hope for anything better.
Branching out, ‘Sean Paul’ kicks off with a groove laden bassline and a mod friendly rhythm, immediately showing off something smoother and more sophisticated. Bringing in chopping guitars, the band’s 60s influences become stronger, and lurking in the back, a swirling organ adds even more of a retro charm. With the production value drenching everything in reverb, the recording has a sound that straddles something vintage with a more contemporary edge, and by applying even more effects to the vocal, there’s enough of a fuzziness to keep the garage rock crowd happy. What really makes this work, though, is its infectious hook. From within the wall of sound, Fitzgerald throws out multiple cries of “its all right” which punctuate his chosen lyric with ease, resulting in something that sounds utterly infectious from the first spin.
‘Mystery Bag’ is a weaker offering, since a thin vocal and clanging verse aim to bring more in the way of atmosphere than melody, and a deliberately discordant guitar solo offsets any potential melody even further. It’s a massive step sideways from the previous tracks, but Rhii’s drumming is solid throughout, and some unexpectedly subtle backing vocals bring a lift to an amiable chorus. It’ll certainly take more work to appreciate than the previous Little Thief recordings. Moving on, the title cut does a decent job in bringing together Oswald’s more raucous elements with another fantastic hook. The main riffs straddle the gulf between well crafted indie rock and old mod-friendly fare, and as such give Fitz a lot to work with, both musically and vocally. Better still, the fusion between Rhii’s retro beats and a pulsing bass give the number a huge heart, and by the time handclaps are introduced before the second verse hits, this feels like an indie banger you’ve always known. In closing, the band return to some of the folk rock influences that cut through the heart of their debut single, ‘Happiness…’. The semi acoustic strums allow for a subtler vocal, and that, in turn, sits brilliantly atop a choir of voices driving a very melodic chorus. Also in keeping with the debut, the rockier aspects are offset by a rolling piano which has the effect of making this feel like an impromptu jam in the corner of an old pub. That’ll certainly be endearing to lovers of a lot of 70s material, and its great to hear these guys tackling something even more accessible.
This isn’t a perfect release, since ‘Mystery Bag’ jars just a little. However, in the main, the material shows Oswald Slain have a great amount of talent and often able to convey a real musical charm. There are times, as hinted at by the stand-alone ‘Happiness…’, that this combination of musicians have the potential to stretch out further than Little Thief ever could. …And that’s vitally important here: musicians need to grow, to be able to push forward and to try new things to avoid stagnation. Or becoming AC/DC. It’s fairly safe to say that if you liked Charlie’s voice and songwriting before, there’s plenty within the Oswald Slain world for you to explore and enjoy. With material that sounds better over time, ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’ is a very interesting beginning to a new and exciting musical chapter.
March 2025