EP Review: Ötzi – Part Time Punks Sessions

California’s Ötzi have been steadily building a dedicated following amongst fans of punk’s dark side and they are now set to release the Part Time Punks Sessions EP, a release that was inspired by John Peel‘s legendary Peel Sessions. The Part Time Punks Sessions was recorded last September after the band played the KXLU radio show of the same name and was produced by DJ Michael Stock. As with the Peel Sessions, it allows fans to hear alternate recordings of some of Ötzi‘s material and also showcases a brand new track.

Ballad Of Oiwa takes you back to sweaty matt back nightclubs of the 80’s and by the time the second track, Winter, kicks in I’m checking to see whether I’ve somehow travelled back to the days of crimped and backcombed hair and pints of cider and black, I might appear to be being flippant but I have fond memories of this scene and Ötzi sound like they’ve been transplanted from that era into the modern age. My personal favourite from the EP is Charms, a track that captures the bridge between vintage punk rock and the later post punk and gothic sound perfectly, the final track, Drought, continues the blast from the past and brings the Part Time Punks Sessions to a dark and stormy close.

Ötzi echo The Chameleons, Xmal Deutschland, Skeletal Family and especially Siouxsie And The Banshees, and pretty much any other influential band you’d care to mention from the post punk and early gothic movements, this is enhanced by the claustrophobic production from KXLU‘s Michael Stock that suits the material perfectly. The Part Time Punks Sessions EP is such a throwback that I’m not sure if they’re embedded in the past or spearheading a revival, either way this is an absolutely stunning EP that somehow captures the sound of forty years ago and brings it untouched into 2019.

The Part Time Punks Sessions EP can be pre-ordered here

Ötzi can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify