Some say one way or another, great music finds its way. That’s the case for Texan trio Oakwood. Over a decade since their last release, they’ve gone through an unexpected resurgence. With past releases re-added to streaming platforms two years ago, Oakwood found an audience keen on hearing their brand of emo. One of those people being Grammy Award winner Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight), who signed the band to his Memory Music label, as well as mastered this “accidental” comeback record.
Consisting of Mathew Dwyer (vocals/guitar/bass), Noah Roots (drums), and Benjamin Taylor James (guitar/bass), ‘Blurred Away’ comfortably sits in the Midwestern emo sound full of twiddly guitars, surging choruses, and reflective lyricism. All pieced together in less than half an hour, very few tracks reach the three-minute mark. It results in a digestible record that you can’t help but keep coming back to. Moments such as ‘Footnote’ jangle with urgency, only to be countered by the blissful instrumentation of‘The Color of Caring’. Sampling a speech from Indian freedom fighter and politician Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, it offers a moment of reflection. Her words of empathy and well-being prove to be central to the album.
Throughout the album, Mat wrestles with the notion of putting on a brave face despite suffering on the inside. ‘Fall Apart’ bounces despite him questioning his purpose. Likewise, the title track charges with rawness as Dwyer’s desperate vocals address the internal and external sense of being forgotten. ‘A Tangled Mess’ with its ringing guitars, sees him question, “is there any good in me?”
Undoubtedly, ‘Blurred Away’ is emo in its purest form, with hints of their influences littered throughout. For example, the penultimate track, ‘The Deepest Green,’ wouldn’t sound out of place in Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Clarity’ era. Additionally, ‘Serpentine (My Whole Life)’ thrives with Title Fight-like urgency. Nevertheless, this is far from a band merely imitating what has come before them. ‘Blurred Away’ excels by Oakwood knowing who and what they are about. An emo gem that offers plenty of longevity.
‘Blurred Away’ by Oakwood is released on May 29th on Memory Music.
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