Bringing expansive 90s shoegaze into the UK's modern alt scene, OVERSIZE are showing some Vital Signs as to why they're here to stay on their debut album.
Hailing from the leafy South-West of England, OVERSIZE are updating the sounds of the 90’s for modern fans of heavy and alternative music alike. Bringing together a delirious concoction with elements of Deftones, Pixies, HUM and even sprinkles of Linkin Park, the five-piece have seamlessly stitched these pieces together into an excellently crafted debut, that could well be more than the sum of its already impressive parts.
Vital Parts is a shoegaze lovers dream at its core. With dreamy, expansive guitars that will gently guide the listener aloft down a river of melancholic soundscapes, the LP never falters or wavers, merely meandering from concept to concept in a deeply enjoyable fashion. Genre boundaries also seem a foreign concept to the band, as – whilst this is first and foremost a shoegaze album – it clearly takes notes from nu metal, dream pop, post-hardcore and even indie, in order to keep things fresh and allow the band to define their own sound, whilst still showing their influences clear on all ten sleeves.
Whilst opening track ‘Stalling’ feels very much like an introduction to the album, sonically raising the curtain as much as setting up the store front, immediately after there’s the stand out one-two punch of ‘Are You With Me’ and ‘Fall Away’. The former rains down solemn chords to wash away any resistance to falling in love with this album, and opens up the floodgates for the latter to dive deep into a discussion of grief, heartbreak and isolation. As ‘Fall Away’ kicks off, the nu metal trappings are more visible than ever, and open up into a melodic and airy anthem to the desperate need for connection, when it’s seemingly impossible to find.
These two songs are only about one minute longer together than the last song is in its entirety – closer ‘Vital Signs’ is not just the longest song here at slightly over five minutes, nor is it but a title track, it functions as a monument to everything the band have shown off to us thus far in their career and across this album. With a slew of ethereal chords that melt into angsty riffs, punky vocals, and a modest but well-written and well-placed solo, it covers every single base that OVERSIZE could’ve asked it to. As the last notes ring out, it’s hard not to sit back and breathe whilst contemplating what’s gone before.
Vital Signs is far more than OVERSIZE‘s debut album. It’s an incredibly thorough exploration into who this band is right now, it’s a potential shoegaze modern classic (only time will tell), and a stunning debut. Making sure to satisfy shoegaze fans of any and all ilk, from the light to the heavy, whilst also showing the potential to bring in plenty of new fans for the band and genre alike, this is sure to live long in the memory of those who take the time to give it a spin.