Oso Oso – Real Stories Of True People Who Looked Like Monsters

From death blossoms new life.  The concept couldn’t be truer for singer/guitarist Jade Lilitri upon State Lines’ entry into dormancy and the quick emergence of new indie/emo project, Oso Oso. Drawing loose inspiration from The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World, the band strives to create rough-cut bunches of pop-flavoured emo goodies.  With a washed out, echoic vocal resonance, Oso Oso encompasses a rustic production over a backdrop of crunchy bass and crackling guitar.  Their debut full length, Real Stories Of True People Who Looked Like Monsters, presents a refreshingly honest take on an often over saturated genre.  

Always endeavouring to construct their ideas at the core of a catchy melody, Oso Oso lands its notes in a veritable middle ground.  An early listen to opener “Track One Side A” admirably layers forceful riffs with tuneful chords in building up to a calculated yet casual balance of wispy imagination and emotional magnification.  Contemporary emo buffs should enjoy the noodly guitar intro and near post-punk, Brand New-esque choruses of down tempo tracks like “Where You’ve Been Hiding.”  

Noteworthy lyrics also stand tall during patient, vocal-heavy introductions.  For instance, the curious passage opening “How It Happened” (“well they shot the messenger, but the message never was quite what he intended it, he made a mess of her, felt his intent was misread”) draws listeners beyond initial curiosity and into lasting impact.  The very deceptively named “Interlude” (actually a very complete song) flexes Oso Oso’s percussive muscles with layered drum beats taking centre stage behind a shallow streak of linear riffs.  These moments aren’t particularly out of the ordinary, they’re just really easy to fall in with, offering listeners periods of ear-perking interest to keep Real Stories Of True People Who Looked Like Monsters running smooth.

Lilitri’s vocals fit right alongside the modern emo-revival without reverting too readily to overly nasally pitches.  However, it should be noted that the album’s vocals are intentionally made to sound as if you’re listening from one room over (a dirty echo), which makes for slight learning curve – especially when listening back-to-back against a cleaner band.  It just takes a song or two to become fully acculturated (although this may be a turn off for some).

Real Stories Of True People Who Looked Like Monsters ends on the stripped down acoustic heartstrings of “This Must Be My Exit.”  As the song finds its way to a close, Oso Oso poetically weaves a morose conclusion peppered by faint handclaps and violin notes over weighted acoustic strums.  While ending an album on an acoustic note might seem a tad cliche, the shift serves as an effective reminder of Oso Oso’s skeletal foundation.  When all’s said and done, Real Stories Of True People Who Looked Like Monsters defines itself from the usual emo crowd in a way that will stand out to prospective emo fans.