Bristol-based Rock group Oswald Slain have announced the release of their debut single “Happiness is Overrated” out now.
Formerly known as Little Thief, Oswald Swain’s sound channels classic Americana, including the vibes of Neil Young and The Band, and also gritty, energetic Rock.
Under their previous moniker, the band toured the UK multiple times, playing slots at Glastonbury, Shambala, Liverpool Sound City, Isle of Wight, Kendal Calling and Greenman Festival.
Co-founding members Charlie Fitzgerald and Rhii Williams, who have been writing music together for over 10 years, took the difficult decision to change the band name and move forward in a new direction. Teaming up with producer and fellow band member Ryan Rogers, their debut single was produced in-house in their DIY studio built in their back garden.
Mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering (PJ Harvey, XTC, Big Special), “Happiness Is Overrated” is a song that “pushes back against the pressures of being happy.”
Reflecting on the single, vocalist and lyricist Charlie Fitzgerald says:
Happiness Is Overrated is a rise above misery and a rebellion against the pressures of being ‘happy’. The song came out of a pretty low point in my life: Final lock down, locked up at home. Everything had kinda fallen apart in my musical world and we were just drinking corner shop wine and trying to keep morale up. I had been listening to Bob Dylan’s ‘115th Dream’ on repeat and loved the story-telling aspect of the lyricism, so enjoying writing something with lots of words and more of a storyline.
The lyrics sat on my computer for a few years and never really got used until one rainy day in January 2024, they found a final resting place in this big, sad, bar-crawl of a tune. The band loved the juxtaposition between the melancholy theme, and the upbeat swagger in the music, and it became the perfect introductory track to our new chapter as Oswald Slain.
LIVE DATES:
November 16th 2024 – The Ill Repute, Bristol
April 17th 2025 – Trillians, Newcastle
April 18th 2025 – The Indiependent, Scunthorpe
April 19th 2025 – The Snug, Atherton April 25th 2025 – 229 The Venue, London
April 26th 2025 – Rossi Bar, Brighton
