Stream: ØZWALD, ‘As The Crow Flies’

Zane Roessell on March 22nd, 2019

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When we last left ØZWALD, they were caught up galavanting on the sun-kissed beaches of Malibu in the video for their debut track “Technicolour Sky.” But as we’ve come to learn, there’s always something lurking beneath. On their latest single, “As The Crow Flies,” things take a more overt turn to that nagging question of existence.

ØZWALD finds Steve Stout (ex-Blondfire, Lost Beach) and Jason Wade (Lifehouse) bonding over vintage gear and cheeky 1960s pop songwriting — turning their talents on the new single to a shared understanding of heartbreak. Halfway through the recording of “Sweet Delirium,” their debut album, Stout “went through a pretty big break-up.” It shows. “As The Crow Flies” commences as a piano-driven dirge, crossed with bent guitars and the hollow refrain “And I don’t know / I don’t know what it means / And I don’t know / I don’t really mind, you see.” Seemingly adrift, the track pivots with psych flourishes into an alt anthem on forging your own destiny amid the chaos while still retaining that cheekiness, “I’ve got a thousand more miles of life to cross / As the crow flies.” A rallying cry with smart production from two seasoned artists, “As The Crow Flies” nails its pop balance with just enough clever wordplay to highlight the divine comedy that is life.

“Sweet Delirium” arrives April 5, via ALLSWELL Records.

||| Stream: “As The Crow Flies”