Kevin Bronson on January 4th, 2019

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ØZWALD is the musical alliance of guitarist Steve Stout (ex-Blondfire, Lost Beach) and Lifehouse’s Jason Wade, friends who bonded over over their love for music of the 1960s and ’70s, vintage gear and modern artists with those same touchstones. Or, as they joke, they like the Monkees and the Arctic kind.

They debuted in late November with the single “Technicolour Sky,” a polychromatic slice of psych-pop that sounds like the Beatles fixating on Southern California sunsets. It’s beautiful, but as there often is with pretty songs, there’s heartbreak beneath the surface.  Witness the wordplay in the chorus: “It’s a beautiful life / it’s a beautiful lie.” Says Stout: “We’re huge fans of the cheekiness of a lot of the tunes from the ’60s but wanted to infuse some lyrics that make you double-think if it’s actually as sweet as the music sounds. …. It’s very inspired by ‘The Truman Show’ and feeling like Los Angeles can leave you feeling like that at times.”

That tint carries over to ØZWALD’s entire album (release date TBA), which was recorded in two weeks at Wade’s studio, where Stout had been helping out as an engineer. “I went through a pretty big break-up about 5 songs deep into the record,” Stout says, “and there are a few tunes that get quite a bit darker than this. But the overall album arc goes through the full spectrum.”

The video for “Technicolour Sky” splices together footage from the duo’s work in the studio and vistas from Malibu. It’s a subtle reminder that however waist-deep you are in malaise, there are always perfect chords and picturesque views. Escape in them.

The album will be coming via Allswell Records.

||| Watch: The video for “Technicolour Sky”