The debut EP from Carli Oso is a record for the times. Baked in a morose sense of despair and indignation, ‘The Wrecking Joint’ is the antithesis of a hopeful and spirited piece. It thrives on lows, evoking the true heart-wrenching darkness of the times. The guitar dominant folk record is loaded with narrative driven song-writing, but it comes from a place of darkness. For that, it becomes a record best suited for you while you’re feeling down in the dumps beyond measure. The New Zealand based folk artist has come through with a record that’s loaded in a fresh sense of folk, one that many an aspiring artist can look to as aspirational.
Throughout the record, you can feel Oso’s own pain. You can hear his own sense of indignation as he feels the world crashing all around him. That feeling like you’re on board a ship that’s rapidly going down is brought about vividly from Oso, with songs like ‘Slow Burn’ in particular highlighting that intense sense of longing and dread. There’s also a keen sense of politics strewn across the record, with Oso noting that the pitfalls and despair that late stage capitalism has brought on to many being a specific point he chose to bring out. The obliteration of the middle class, the rise of only a few to the top are issues that are no longer constrained but seem to be ubiquitous across geographies.
There’s a strong sentiment of isolation and longing that seems almost inseparable from the driving ethos of this record. From the groovy riff of a song like ‘Stranger Things’ to the more folksy ballad that comes on ‘Slow Burn’, there’s a whole lot of sonic diversity across this album as well. A sorrowful record, but one that’s well worth an exploration.