“Loma Prieta” by OSLO
Written for Tongue Tied Magazine, April 2022
The Chicago-based OSLO is releasing their debut album, Great Places, on May 20th, via their label Christmas Records. This album is self-produced and mixed by OSLO and was born out of the isolation of the last few years. On April 22nd, this songwriter released the first single of the LP titled "Loma Prieta", which roughly translates to "dark hill" in Spanish.
Photo by Lily McLaughlin
This song makes the perfect introduction to OSLO's debut album and what it's all about. OSLO shares “Great Places was written and recorded during a time of great anxiety, doubt and confusion for myself and the world in general. It’s about confronting the things we can’t control and clutching to the belief that there are better times ahead, especially when it doesn’t feel that way". "Loma Prieta" describes the idea of feeling a loss of control, destroying everything in your path and being unable to stop. While "Loma Prieta" means dark hill, I feel like the rest of OSLO's debut album will fill in the gaps of his story - from feeling like a disaster to finding happiness and peace in the future. If you think of this project visually, we are only seeing one side of this "hill" and it might be dark, but once we find the courage to climb to the top and grace the other side, it could look much different.
OSLO, an anagram for solo, is the former guitarist/backing vocalist of Midwest pop-punk band Sleep On It. Great Places will be his first project as an individual artist and still pays tribute to his pop-punk roots but in a much more calm and light, airy manner. "Loma Prieta" is a great first look into his upcoming LP with a smooth drumline and OSLO's voice filling the lead and background vocals in perfect self-harmony.
Keep an eye out for Great Places releasing on May 20th, and keep yourself entertained until then by checking out "Loma Prieta" and its music video out now!
OSLO
Listen to “Loma Prieta” here.