My Octopus Mind are a trio of young men from Bristol who make ungainly and enthralling rock songs, and they are gearing up to release their second studio album Faulty At Source on November 20. Today they’ve shared a new single from it called “Wandering Eye”, which features vocals from fellow Bristolian alt-pop purveyor Rebecca Shelley, as they explore the vagaries of a complicated romantic relationship.
“Hold on tight as you float on down stream,” singer Liam O’Connell begins, introducing us to the poetic mind of the song’s protagonist, before he aloofly tosses out the next line “I’m ok with your wandering eye.” Whether they’re in an open relationship or not is unclear, but it seems that the singer is anything but “ok” with his lover’s wandering eye, as the band then take the track through a series of tumultuous waves of psychedelic sound with nimble playing that hits like sudden rushes of convoluted feelings.
The hapless central character seems to be watching from across a room while his partner flirts with someone else. He knows “if I don’t say nothing I’ll lose myself again,” but he seems rooted to the spot as jealousy bubbles up inside him. “I’m ok, I’m ok, I’m ok” he repeats unconvincingly, before My Octopus Mind employ a brief moment of sanguine clarity with some hymnal vocal harmonies – only to quickly destroy it with a calamitous and thunderous onslaught of riffs and drums – the sound of a man’s dignity finally shattering.
Listen to “Wandering Eye” below or on your preferred platform.
My Octopus Mind’s new album Faulty At Source arrives on November 20. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
