SonOfOld has released his 4th and self-titled studio album across all digital platforms. SonOfOld has had Texx And The City describe his music, stating “With so many of today’s popular releases conforming to a certain style of form, SonOfOld legit does not give a sh*t about what’s mainstream, instead focusing on exactly the kind of art that he wants throw out into the universe.” This is a quote taken for the music video for ‘Much Better’ that not only defines one song, but is pretty apt for the entire album.
Nic Olsen, aka SonOfOld, finally gets to release his full body of work after teasing with 4 singles leading up to the album drop today.
The last Sonofold record “The Wolf Album” recorded with Steve Albini, was released in 2011 and 9 years later the 4th studio album is finally out. The “SonOfOld” album was recorded over a two week period in 2019 with Tom Hughes and is something special in that the music is taken from a writing period that spans just over a decade. It is in a way for Olsen to reflect and move on.
For SonOfOld, or any artist who has not seen the A-list success with their name, looking to break a new album is a tough task in its own, so how do you please the masses? You don’t. You make an album you love and you reach those who resonate with it. Nic has finally achieved this.
Nic Olsen comments on the new SonOfOld album
“All I can say about this record is that I enjoy listening to it… other albums I have written/been involved in I have little desire to reflect on, but this one is different. So, for anyone else, this album just might be worth taking some time to stick on some headphones and take a listen . It’s only 8 tracks and 30 minutes long, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”
With singles ‘Atom Man’, ‘Saturday Night’, ‘Much Better’, and ‘A Message’ already released from the album, these remaining four tracks complete the newly released SonOfOld masterpiece that is Nic Olsen’s eccentric 4th Studio album.
Nic explores the stories behind these remaining singles and how they came about
“Shout it out”: This track was written in 2018… when I recorded the demo I laid down a drum beat based on the Portishead track “Machine Gun” from their third album. Shout it Out though is a pretty straight forward pop song … I think what makes it sound special are the drums and the bass line which sit in direct contract to the piano and vocals.
“No Escape”: This is my favourite track from the album. The beats again full of 90’s flavour … Rob Zombie-ish some have said. My favourite part of the track is the bass line in the chorus and the backing vocal “doo doo doos” . Guitars I kept minimalistic; I was going for that Velvet Underground feel in places.
“Take a Trip”: This track took a while to finish … one of those pieces one keeps revisiting. I eventually decided “f*ck it, let’s finish it and put it on the album.” The highlight in this one is oddly enough the outro, more specifically the melody. I have been influenced a lot by Brian Wilson and in particular his work on “Pet Sounds”, which comes through strong in the outro for ‘Take a Trip’. The lyrics are inspired by the true crime documentary “Murder Mountain”.
“Whiskey and Plastic”: This is an oldie. I originally recorded the track with David Birch and we have recently pulled that from the archives, but that’s for another time. The song came out of nowhere. I simply sat down at the piano and wrote it from beginning to end (because I’m a musical genius – lol) . Lyrically the song is introspective and, in a way, hasn’t lost its meaning… perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I listened to the album from start to finish and I have to admit that it’s a masterpiece. It’s one of the best albums that I’ve heard from a South African artist in quite some time. There really isn’t ONE shitty song on the album.
Watch this space for updates in the Music News category on SA Music Zone.
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