CASTLE FACE
Shifting between various monikers, John Dwyer has released five albums in the last two years. Moving from the restrained folk-rock of his OCS project to the frenetic garage rock of Thee Oh Sees and now, as Oh Sees, Dwyer pumps out a second album after 2017’s Orc. The usual highoctane bursts of guitars and pulverising drums are ever-present, but there’s a noticeable shift towards things getting a little more prog-rock. There are still big, swampy guitar riffs that are as rooted in glam as they are psychedelia and garage, but the jumping organs, mystical lyrics, giant wig-outs and spiralling guitar parts appear to be further cracking open Dwyer’s love of the progressive-rock genre. However, while it’s an area that’s often been synonymous with bloated selfindulgence, Dwyer manages to retain a pace and sense of exhilaration throughout the record as it hurtles ever forward. Daniel Dylan Wray