Album Review: Oooth – Nothing’s Gonna Change

Oooth are as described by their press release a Hard Rock/Punk band (or is this a one man outfit? According to the line up) from South Africa, headed up by the bands name giver Jason Oosthuizen a man of  many talents, playing drums is his foremost though, and when you get into this album, it does become rather apparent that it has been produced by himself.  

Out on the 29th of January and spearing right into the heart of a genre that does have droves of bands, all of which want to be a genre defining outfit.  So how do Oooth fair here?  Well as first track ‘Departures’ hits the senses, it all seems pretty much standard, melodic, gentle pop punk vocals, but somehow you do feel that something is lounging around in the background, a hint of heavier things to come, guitar riffs with Bullet For My Valentine angst shining through, Its not until you get to ‘Better Days’ that things start to feel a lot more in the Rock camp, but still with a sugar coated melodic heart, which is certainly not a bad thing, in fact it hits all the right buttons, life affirming and up beat!

As noted earlier, the production does feel it has been slanted a few degrees toward the drum section, a slant that works perfectly in giving the album a sound of Oooth and not of just another average slice of pop/punk pie.

Then comes ‘Your Lies’ a track that at first feels slightly out of place with what came before, harder rock, a more obviously critical song, not sure if its personal or political, but I’d like to think its a “take good hard look at yourself for not standing up” when you should have song.  It certainly is an album that has so many more layers to it than its first track gives off, in fact ‘Your Lies’ seems to be a turning or moving on moment in the album, you feel that this is where it suddenly becomes a more serious album, lyrically it is a serious album that hides its true colours a little, a soft outer shell with a harder centre.

The title ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change’ defiantly stands up and admits that politically South Africa has a very long way to go, ‘Get Up’ certainly sounds like an anthem to rally those who need to change and a push to those who can make change.

Jumping back a track, ‘Sunshine’ was worth listening to twice, something grabs you, a feeling that this track means more than the words give off, it has a sense of loss, more than just a broken relationship maybe.

All together a well spent 30 mins or so, a melodic, politically charged, exhilarating and full of hope album. 

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