Electro-punk outfit Oh800 prepare to get your legs moving with the release of their debut album Character Building, out on 12th October 2018 via Infinite Jest Records.
The album, in a nutshell, is about giving an outlet to the inner dialogue in your head. The band elaborate “its about those internal freak outs you get, feeling like a kid in your 30’s, getting ripped off, as well as the good stuff like love and friendship.” Kicking off with title track and previous single Character Building, the album’s infectious dance-punk sensibilities are apparent from the offset. Filled with clunking cowbells, pulsating beats and bright, jangling guitar sounds, frontman Eoin Rooney’s colloquial lead vocal is able to soar effortlessly, sounding akin to that of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. Their debut single Shoulda Known It has a similar disco-punk vibe, with its razor sharp guitars cutting through the thick, smokey basement party-haze like its life depended on it. Forthcoming single I Want You Around once again channels the band’s post-punk influences such as Talking Heads and Public Image Ltd, whilst allowing their modern day frustrations to flow into its sardonic lyricism and infectious glitchy electronica.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Oh800 about the latest project, challenges, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
We wanted to to make music to move to. We don’t mind how you move, as long as it’s not away.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Trying to be cool as a teenager and then realizing music is the shit and it can take you places in life. Fear of my own failure drives me to push it out.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Dumb shit I hear people say, inspired things I hear people say. Friendships. Language. Other music. Love. Sex. Hate. My taste in music has evolved, but my taste in friends, sex, love and hate has stayed pretty constant.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
The main objective when there three of us started playing together was to have a laugh and not take it too seriously, and we succeeded. Eoin writes the lyrics and I think he was looking for some sort of catharsis by mocking his own inner turmoil. I couldn’t tell you if he succeeded or not but given the lyrics on the new stuff we’re writing, I’d say he’s still trying.
What was the last song you listened to?
What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
In theory I prefer vinyl, but in reality I almost always stream music these days. I’m part of the problem, sorry.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify, because they playlisted our first single.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Finding decent shows to play.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
We’re on Facebook Instagram and oh800.band, Eoin wanted the website to be oh800.pizza but it got voted down. He’s still smarting.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Check out our album Character Building in the autumn, and we’ll have some singles coming before that. The first one is called I Want You Around and it’s about your mates telling you to sack off making music because you’re too old. But you don’t want to, because it’s fun and they’re only jealous anyway.
