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OSBO is a curious entry in the canon of the Sydney underground in 2024, a lone pillar between the lo-fidelity pop-laden leanings of Gee Tee, Satanic Togas, RMFC et al. and the slick mainstream hardcore juggernauts of Speed and associates.
This is a gritty, modern classic of a hardcore record, with production hitting a rare sweet spot - raw and in-the-red enough to capture your primal yearning for immediacy, and yet possessing just the right amount of clarity that the strength of the songs shine through. Comparisons to Cold Sweat's timeless 2004 LP 'Blinded' seem lazy, but given the prominence of bludgeoning bass lines, hornet-swarm guitar work and vocals teetering right on the edge, perhaps those comparisons would not be unwelcome.
There's also plenty of fast parts to get your blood and your fist pumping - and after all why else would you wanna play hardcore?
Play fast and play loud. Buy this.
Our take: We carried a demo tape from this Sydney, Australia band a while back, and now they’re back with their debut EP on Blow Blood Records. Osbo’s brand of hardcore is noisy, dark, and desperate, their loose and unpredictable style (as well as their snotty vocals) bringing to mind Cleveland classics like the H100’s and Gordon Solie Motherfuckers, but with a touch of Saccharine Trust-esque artiness rather than a full dirtbag aesthetic. The twin guitar lines give these songs an extra layer of interesting texture, particularly on the dirge “Time,” a No Trend-esque deconstruction that gives the musicians space to wander off the main groove and conjure some really interesting sounds. Recommended for those who like their hardcore raw, dark, and weird.