After a couple of years of stoking excitement, Dublin quartet Odd Morris have announced they’ll release a debut EP called Cityscape the Ballet later this year. While they’re withholding the final release date, they do reveal that “Cityscape The Ballet explores the overwhelming emotions of day-to-day life in the city, that trigger the urge of removing oneself – or escaping – the performance of the everyday.” They go on to add: “Everyone knows how it feels to feel estranged, everyone has their dark days. Part of the process is feeling like you’re the only one, but we’re all more connected than we think.”
They’re putting that idea of connection through vulnerability to the test with “The Once Was Enough”, the lead single from the EP. It finds the band in greyscale hues and featherlight in their playing, gliding perfectly alongside admissions of self-defeatism and forlorn dreams. It begins with perhaps the most honest reflection, “maybe I’m too… never mind,” a perfect encapsulation of the thought process of someone who has little-to-no self belief. From there we turn inwards, into Odd Morris’ fantasies of seeing a loved one in the morning light, their delicate skin that they want to taste – it’s a moment so fragile that you can hear the sheer angst as they plead “don’t wake me up I’m dreaming… the once was enough.” Odd Morris don’t need to over-egg their playing to wring out the pure feeling, they’re perfectly taut-yet-restrained, matching the balance of self-flagellation and pure escapism coming through in the lyricism. Overall, “The Once Was Enough” is a musically dynamic and emotionally daring exploration into some deeply-held personal desires – taking us right into their hearts.
With Odd Morris’ Cityscape the Ballet EP arriving later this year, make sure to follow them on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
