Omesse - Omesse

Omesse

Omesse
self-released; 2017

4.0 out of 5

By William Morrow

Oftentimes first projects are highly disorganized, and, to be blunt, sporadic. This can be both good and bad, though— on one hand, it could be that the band offers a diverse selection of strong sounds and melodies, and on the other the disorganization could prove to be too much. I’m relieved to say that Omesse, a four-piece located in Malmo, Sweden, gravitated toward the former with their debut, eponymous EP Omesse. 

​The album starts out with “Bound” an unbelievably catchy, fun tune that is just absolutely groovy. The song reminded me of a lot of artists like Glass Animals and Alt-J with its funky yet pop-sensible approach. The song just rides, man. To be honest, the tune does stand out from the rest on the album, which has me conflicted, as I would have liked to hear more along these lines. I was not disappointed with what I received, though. 

The next song “Be a Darling” sounded nothing like the first— rather, it was slow, emotional and melancholy. Featuring a cello as well as falsetto-filled vocals, the song provided a bold contrast to the former. I am not saying it was better or worse— rather, it was just different. Two completely dissimilar genres of music both done well, so I suppose that is a testament to Omesse’s ability to bounce in and out of genres on command and with ease. 

Moving on to the fourth track “Remains” I was reminded very distinctly of two very different artists— the riff at the beginning sounded a lot like something out of Neil Young’s early catalogue, however it also sounded eerily similar to a riff in a Freelance Whale’s song titled “Broken Horse.” Once the vocals settled in, the song took more of a folksy route, which was nice in its own. 

As far as production goes, I think the EP sounds excellent. It is warm, full and pleasant. The levels are really nice and each song achieved the effect it was aiming for. This is interesting as each song aimed at something disparate. 

Moving onward, I would like to see Omesse solidify their vision and construct a more focused approach to their songwriting. They do a lot of things well, so I guess it is up to them to figure out what they most want. Personally, I think they should pursue their weirder/groovier side as it is addicting. They do the more mellow, folksy side well, too; there are just a lot of other people doing it. I look forward to hearing what Omesse puts out in the future.

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