O HELL is releasing its debut single DOWN on 5 November, a beautifully intense electronic/alternative stunner.
O Hell cut their teeth as a songwriter and musician, touring and recording with UK alt bands and as a live guitarist/bassist for international touring acts.
Across 2020, drum machines and recording software began to offer them a new sonic autonomy. O Hell is the outcome.
“In 2020 I got obsessed with a bunch of late nineties and early 00s albums like ‘Bubblegum’ by Mark Lanegan, ‘Is this Desire’ by PJ Harvey and ‘Amnesiac’ by Radiohead, that veer between beautiful pop and the most gritty, deranged sonic palettes. I love those emotional and sonic contrasts – they sound unhinged. I’m also drawn to those artists who go deep on themselves. I’m always looking for the person who expresses the emotional extremity no one else has dared pull out of themselves.”
We have had a sneaky little listen of O Hell’s debut single DOWN and it is, quite frankly, a stunner. Heavy synth lines pin down the low end of the track with depth and urgency, while the top vocal line swings from the understated to the visceral with ease. O Hell mentioned that emotional and sonic contrasts were a key inspiration, and DOWN is a glorious example of working extremes with a masterful touch.
“Down is about coming to terms with who you are, and telling yourself you’re still going exactly where you want to, even when it feels like you’re running with a broken leg.”
O Hell is an exercise in refusing compromise.
“I make these songs in my house and they’re going to exist as if no one ever heard them. There’s never going to be an emotional or sonic filter. I have no interest in doing anything else, and maybe making them with that intent will mean whatever comes out connects.”
Brighton Undercurrent 