EP Review: Emergency Procedures

Oh Sweet Nothings are a Wellington based student band who describes themselves as “indie/post-alternative/post-post-punk 3-sometimes-4 piece project”. They have just released their debut EP, Emergency Procedures, which took four years in the making; it is a precursor and little teaser to the band’s full length album which will possibly be released mid-2020.

It would appear the Oh Sweet Nothings are rising like the phoenix from the ashes of obscurity and fast becoming renowned members of the Wellington underground music scene. They have been through a few line-up and name changes to get to this point, polishing their bedroom jam session sound into a gritty, grungy EP heavy with Post-Punk overtones “a surreal auditory world, inhabited by dark truths and repressed desires”. Sounding like a grungy, grainy punked up version of The White Stripes .

Opening the 5 track EP is fuzzy almost manic sounding lead single Maraca Attacker, with interesting timing and sardonic lyrics burst forth with the help of those maracas. This song slaps you awake with its brutal arrangement.

The rest of the EP flows along the same vein, with the odd percussion accompaniment adding further interest and layers to an already thick coating of originality. This is raw, uniquely composed Indie post-post punk. The more I listened to it the more I picked up on the quirky yet strangely alluring sound these guys produce.

The largely self-produced EP which has taken a period of nine months in a variety of Wellington studios/bedrooms and lounge rooms, throws out a fresh and original perspective on life and sound. Emergency Procedures is the band’s first endeavour of trying to make sense in today’s modern world, the name itself alluding to “the deep need to have some sort of procedure for dealing with feelings of desperation, frustration, apathy etc.”

Oh Sweet Nothings are planning on doing an Emergency Procedures Tour of the North Island this summer, so keep an eye out for them in Auckland, Tauranga, Wanganui and Wellington to get an earful of their unique style of music.