Oscar Lang on Escaping a Terrible Year With His ‘More Honest’ Sophomore Album Look Now
As superfans of both classic rock and '90s Britpop, we can't get enough of the music of 23-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Oscar Lang, who seems to effortlessly meld nostalgic and modern vibes to create timeless tunes.
Today, the English artist dropped his sophomore album, Look Now, consisting of 10 tracks that tell his own honest story in a way only Oscar could. Channeling the best of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Radiohead and The Verve, the genre-defying album hops between piano-driven ballads, laidback jams and psychedelic and experimental melodies while never straying from Oscar's signature cutting and vulnerable lyrics. Once we had a listen, we had to discover the story behind the album, and Oscar was kind enough to divulge all of it in the interview below. Click HERE to learn where to listen, or keep scrolling to play the album in full!
Sweety High: What does the album name Look Now mean to you? Why did that title track feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?
Oscar Lang: It was the first time that I felt like I had made an album that was a definitive statement of what my music is. If there was any time to look, look now.
SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the album? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?
OL: I think the overarching theme of the album is growing up. I went through all the life experiences that you would as an adult—a breakup, a breakdown and finally achieving some form of maturity. The album spans so many different emotions that I just hope people can relate to the little pockets of songs that might apply to their lives, too.
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SH: Do you feel that this album has been more emotionally vulnerable and therapeutic than the music you've released in the past? In what ways?
OL: It's more honest. There's no stories on this album. For a while, I was into writing stories about other people, but this is the first record where every song had some personal meaning.
SH: How would you describe the album's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?
OL: I think it's a mixture of a bunch of different genres caped over in some sort of indie blanket. The main influences, though, are clearly the piano ballad greats. Your Eltons, your Billy Joels and your McCartneys. We used heaps of analog gear to give the tracks a feel of somewhere between vintage and new.
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SH: How do you feel that these songs represent where you all are in life right now?
OL: Making these songs was my escape from a terrible year, and it feels nice to sit back now I'm in a much better place and appreciate that out of this horrible time, I made this wonderful album. I'm more excited now to keep evolving and making more music.
SH: What are your favorite songs on the album? Why?
OL: "Circle Line" is one of my faves. Production-wise, it was the funnest to create and piece together all these real sounds into a song. As the chorus hits, there's a bottle getting smashed and planes flying overhead—something you might not hear on a first listen, but a nice bit of ear candy once you're in it.
SH: How do you feel you've grown musically since Chew the Scenery? In what ways is your growth reflected on this new album?
OL: I feel more sure of myself and ideas. It was way too easy for me to keep adding stuff to songs. I wanted to make a record where you could hear all the parts and know when to stop recording. Sonically as well, the arrangements are more intricate and interesting than a wall of noise.
Listen to Look Now in its entirety below:
For more of the stories behind today's new music, click HERE to read our interview with Yellowcard on the band's new EP, Childhood Eyes.