Otts are a trio from the Taranaki, and this two-track EP is their fourth to date as they work towards their debut album. Formed in 2020, they have a sound which takes me back more than 40 years to the indie commercial punk style which came through in the second wave in the UK when bands decided they would actually like to be featured on Top of the Pops and the radio after all. This is where bands like Buzzcocks came to the fore, with their commercial approach to punk which still had buzzsaw guitars but there was musical sensibility and hooks in what they were doing which was a perfect transition out of the anarchy and aggression of the original scene and into something more palatable, and that is just what we have here with Otts.
The drums may be frantic and the guitars riffing hard but listen to the bassline and one will quickly understand it is melodic and keeping everything pinned together. Both songs here, BOK and Sunday Blue are worthy of single status, and the latter has a wonderfully quirky DIY video which is very tongue in cheek and perfectly in keeping with the song itself. The more one listens to this the more there is to hear, as there are some wonderful touches in the arrangements, such as a barely heard guitar crunching a solo at one point, or the way it has a real swing and groove. It is certainly going to be interesting a full album from these guys as these songs have a lot going for them and I hope they make the trip up to Auckland at some point so I can see them play as I bet they are a blast live.
Rating: 8/10
