Chicago-based artist OSLO released debut album “Great Places.” OSLO is the brainchild of TJ Horansky the former guitarist of the pop punk band, Sleep On It. The album was created in a home studio where he wrote, produced, and played all the instruments on the record. The Covid-19 pandemic forced him to slow down and learn to produce, engineer, and mix. The byproduct was the album “Great Places.”
“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,” OSLO explains.
The record is soft, has many instrumentals, and lyrics that showcase the effects of isolation. There is a variety of sounds ranging from folk with “If You Were Here, Then I’d Be Home,” the first single he released last year, to indie rock with tracks like the newest single “Loma Prieta,” and hints of his pop punk roots throughout.
The surprise for me was the track “Displaced.” I am usually not a fan of slower paced, bare boned songs, but this was my favorite track on the album. It could be shorter, but perfect, run time of 1:50, or how easily it flows into the next track of “Voice Memo 9.8.20.”
“Great Places” is released today via Christmas Records. Listen here.
Photo Credit: Lily McLaughlin
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