Life Till Bones

Last updated

Life Till Bones
Life Till Bones.jpg
Studio album by
Oso Oso
ReleasedAugust 9, 2024 (2024-08-09)
RecordedJanuary–March 2024
StudioTwo Worlds Studio
Genre
Length29:14
Label Yunahon Entertainment LLC
Producer Billy Mannino
Oso Oso chronology
Sore Thumb
(2022)		Life Till Bones
(2024)

Life Till Bones is the fifth studio album by the American emo band Oso Oso, released on August 9, 2024. Released following the death of the band's guitarist, the lyrics largely reflect the grief and loss felt by frontman Jade Lilitri. The album met with positive critical reception and was seen as a complement to the band's previous album, Sore Thumb . Critics highlighted Life Till Bones's lyrical earnestness and philosophical content while describing the music as bright and catchy, contrasting with the album's lyrics.

Contents

Background

Shortly after recording the demo versions of their 2022 album Sore Thumb , Oso Oso's guitarist, Tavish Maloney, died unexpectedly at the age of 24. [6] A long-time musical collaborator and blood cousin of frontman Jade Lilitri, Maloney's death and Lilitri's reaction to it are continually present themes throughout the album's lyrics. [7] Some of the songs on the album were made before the band's third studio album, Basking in the Glow , was released. [8]

Life Till Bones was produced by Billy Mannino, a long-time collaborator of Oso Oso's, and released by the band's Yunahon Entertainment LLC record label. [9] [10] The album was released on August 9, 2024. [4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
New Noise Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Paste 7.9 [8]
Pitchfork 7.5 [11]
Spin B+ [5]
Stereogum 8/9 [2]

Life Till Bones received positive reviews upon its release. Special attention was given to the tracks "All of My Love", which had been released as a single, and "Seesaw", which dealt with survivor's guilt and paid tribute to Maloney's death. [12] Critics felt that the album was darker than the band's previous work, variously reflecting on loss, guilt, heartbreak, and mourning. [13] Several critics compared the album favorably to the work of Phoenix. [14]

Pitchfork 's Ian Cohen gave the album a strong review, complimenting Lilitri as a "master of efficiency" and the album's heavy lyrics cast on "their breezy melodies". Cohen also praised Mannino's production, calling the work "a small, punchy rock record, a string of pearly, polished gems", but wrote that the album meets – rather than surpasses – its expectations. [11] While he found the album to be less "explosive" than the band's earlier work, Cohen remarked that Life Till Bones is "an earnest take on mortality" and describes the effort as "one of the most celebrated songwriters of his scene making a filler-free record entirely about love and death". [11]

Abby Jones, writing for Stereogum 's album of the week, gave resounding praise to the album. Similar to Sachler, Jones discusses the album as complement to the band's previous album, calling Sore Thumb something of a "hedonistic, disoriented" album that "harped on the crucial role of bro-ing out" which is contrasted with the sober lyricism of Life Till Bones which serves as "the harsh comedown" after Maloney's death. [2] She further describes the lyrics as straddling the line between both a pessimistic nihilism and an optimistic absurdism:

Much of life till bones concerns life's futility; even the album's title and skeleton-ridden artwork seem to imply that our mortal existence is nothing more than what happens until we die. But to Lilitri, these grisly revelations are freeing, splitting the difference between saying "fuck it, nothing matters" with a defeated sigh and saying "fuck it, nothing matters" with a satisfied grin. [2]

Leah Weinstein of Paste also praised the album, writing: "Lilitri comes across as humble, self-aware and favorable protagonist—and that's only bolstered by just how fun and engaging the music is [...]". Weinstein described Lilitri's writing as "intimate, fractured and grateful", while describing the music as "catchy" and "confident vocally" with a "tight power pop" element. [8] BrooklynVegan 's Andrew Sacher mirrored Weinstein's comments on the power pop elements, describing it as musically distinct from the band's emo- and punk-laden debut album. [10] Sacher also approved of the album as a strong follow-through on the newer sound brought along by Sore Thumb and complimented the band's ability to maintain their distinct touch while experimenting with elements of different genres, calling it "Oso Oso's lightest, brightest, snappiest songs yet". [10]

In her review of the album for New Noise Magazine , Kirstie Rouse called Lilitri a "mastermind [who] has perfected the art of creating music that is consistently great". [4] Rouse applauded the lyrics, the contrastive musical elements, and danceablility, calling the album on the whole "a groovy, painfully catchy album" and "an incredible piece of work that only Oso Oso could create". [4] Writing for Spin , Ben Salmon wrote that Life Till Bones shows Lilitri in his best light: "Cranking out buzzy, hummable tunes that work their way into your brain and your heart in less than four minutes". Salmon described the musical quality of the album as "trying to dig a hole in a bowl full of sugar", which he said complemented the bittersweet lyrical content. [5]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Many Ways"1:31
2."The Country Club"2:59
3."All of My Love"2:17
4."That's What Time Does"3:08
5."Stoke"3:36
6."Dog Without Its Bark"3:19
7."Seesaw"3:56
8."Application"3:03
9."Skippy"3:04
10."Other People's Stories"2:18
Total length:29:14

Related Research Articles

Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat.

<i>Parables for Wooden Ears</i> 1994 studio album by Powderfinger

Parables for Wooden Ears is the debut studio album released by the Australian band Powderfinger. It was released on 18 July 1994 by Polydor Records, after recording at the Metropolis Studios in Melbourne during February 1994. The album peaked a number 51 on the ARIA charts, selling 10,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Sapone</span> American record producer

Mike Sapone is an American record producer, composer, audio engineer, and mixer whose credits include producing records for bands such as Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Boston Manor, The Front Bottoms, Mayday Parade, Grouplove, Anxious, Sincere Engineer, Sorority Noise, An Horse, Oso Oso, O'Brother, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Public Enemy.

<i>Shmapn Shmazz</i> 1995 Midwest emo album by Capn Jazz

Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On, and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over, more commonly known as Shmap'n Shmazz, is the only full-length studio album by the American emo band Cap'n Jazz. It was released in 1995 on the record label Man With Gun. Cap'n Jazz's lineup at the time of recording comprised Tim Kinsella on lead vocals, Davey von Bohlen and Victor Villarreal on guitar, Sam Zurick on bass guitar, and Mike Kinsella on drums.

<i>Dizzy Heights</i> 1996 studio album by The Lightning Seeds

Dizzy Heights is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band The Lightning Seeds, released in 1996, and reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999.

Tearjerker is a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of Micah Bonte, Trevor Hawkins, and Taylor Shute.

<i>Floating Coffin</i> 2013 studio album by Thee Oh Sees

Floating Coffin is the fourteenth studio album by the American garage rock band Thee Oh Sees, released on April 16, 2013, on Castle Face Records. The album is the band's eighth to be released under the name Thee Oh Sees, and their fourteenth studio album overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun (song)</span> 2013 single by CHVRCHES

"Gun" is a song by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches from their 2013 debut album The Bones of What You Believe. It was released as the band's third official single on 15 June 2013 via Virgin and Goodbye Records.

The emo revival, or fourth wave emo, was an underground emo movement which began in the late 2000s and flourished until the mid-to-late 2010s. The movement began towards the end of the 2000s third-wave emo, with Pennsylvania-based groups such as Tigers Jaw, Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing eschewing that era's mainstream sensibilities in favor of influence from 1990s Midwest emo. Acts like Touché Amoré, La Dispute and Defeater drew from 1990s emo and especially its heavier counterparts, such as screamo and post-hardcore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Tell Me No</span> 1980 single by the Cars

"Don't Tell Me No" is a song by the American New wave band, the Cars. The song, written by Ric Ocasek, appeared on the band's third studio album, Panorama.

<i>Painted Shut</i> 2015 studio album by Hop Along

Painted Shut is the third studio album by American indie rock band Hop Along, released on May 4, 2015 through Saddle Creek Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absolution Calling</span> 2015 single by Incubus

"Absolution Calling" is the lead single for the American rock band Incubus on their 2015 EP Trust Fall .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oso Oso</span> American rock band

Oso Oso is an American rock band from Long Beach, New York. Jade Lilitri, formerly of State Lines, is the only permanent member. Jade uses Lilitri as a pen name. The band has released four studio albums and two EPs. Their 2019 release, Basking in the Glow and their 2022 release, Sore Thumb were named "Best New Music" by online music magazine Pitchfork.

<i>A Black Mile to the Surface</i> 2017 studio album by Manchester Orchestra

A Black Mile to the Surface is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra. It was released on July 21, 2017, through Loma Vista Recordings and Favorite Gentlemen. Recording for the album took place from the summer of 2016 onwards with producer Catherine Marks. The lead single, "The Gold", was released on June 9, 2017, alongside a music video directed by Mike Dempsey and Johnny Chew. Two more singles, "The Alien" and "The Moth", were released later in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Daddy & the Hyena</span> American punk rock band

Prince Daddy & the Hyena is an American punk rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014. They have released three full-length albums and four extended plays.

<i>Inlet</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Hum

Inlet is the fifth studio album by the Champaign, Illinois alternative rock band Hum. It was surprise-released digitally to Bandcamp on June 23, 2020. The album has been received positively by critics. It is the final album to feature original drummer Bryan St. Pere who died on June 29, 2021.

<i>The Million Masks of God</i> 2021 studio album by Manchester Orchestra

The Million Masks of God is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra. It was released through Loma Vista on April 30, 2021. The album was announced on February 18, 2021, alongside the release of the first single "Bed Head".

<i>Sore Thumb</i> (album) 2022 studio album by Oso Oso

Sore Thumb is the fourth studio album by American rock band Oso Oso, released on March 18, 2022, through Triple Crown Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myopic (Drug Church song)</span> 2023 single by Drug Church

"Myopic" is a single by American hardcore band, Drug Church. The standalone single was released on March 1, 2023, through Pure Noise Records.

<i>Lets Start Degeneracy</i> 2024 studio album by Microwave

Let's Start Degeneracy is a 2024 studio album by American rock band Microwave. It has received positive reviews from critics.

References

Citations

Sources

  • Cohen, Ian (August 12, 2024). "Life Till Bones | Oso Oso". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Corcoran, Nina (July 18, 2024). "Oso Oso Announce New Album Life Till Bones, Share New Song "That's What Time Does"". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Jones, Abby (August 6, 2024). "Album Of The Week: Oso Oso life till bones". Stereogum . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Rouse, Kirstie (August 7, 2024). "Album Review: Oso Oso - Life Till Bones". New Noise Magazine . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Sacher, Andrew (August 9, 2024). "Notable Releases of the Week (8/9)". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Salmon, Ben (August 9, 2024). "Oso Oso Return to a Sweet Spot on 'Life Till Bones'". Spin . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Weinstein, Leah (August 9, 2024). "oso oso Tell an Empowering Story of Growth and Radical Acceptance on life till bones". Paste . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.