Oscar The Wild To Launch New Single ‘Pinch Me Please’

After the release of their upbeat indie rock single AAA, Oscar the Wild have taken some time off and are now back with the first single of multiple releases this year, Pinch Me Please. It marks the beginning of Oscar the Wild’s first EP – due to be released at the end of 2023. A song about denying reality, Pinch Me Please pairs the hopefulness of being able to get through life without having to live in a fantasy world with a beat you can dance to.

To celebrate the release of Pinch Me Please, Oscar the Wild will be taking the stage at Lion Arts Factory on April 6. Sharing the stage alongside Oscar the Wild are indie folk-rockers Sour Sob and the band taking Adelaide by storm, Sunsick Daisy. Ruby from the band took some time out to answer some questions about the new single and their upcoming launch.

How exciting is the build-up to the release of the single Pinch Me Please?
We took a bit of a back step in 2022 in terms of recording and releasing music, because we wanted to consolidate our ‘sound’ and ‘brand’. But in all honesty, we didn’t really come to any conclusions. It’s hard writing music when the intention is for it to sound like a song that’s already successful. Pinch Me was written when I decided to stop caring about the result, and I think it sounds that way, a song captured in the middle of a turbulent time, when I was looking for direction and clarity, but instead remained in chaos.

The build-up to release and reception since has given us the confidence to know we can release whatever the heck we like, as long as it makes us feel something.

What’s the story behind the single?
I spend a lot of time in my head, and I think it gets worse when my real life is unstable. I find myself getting so lost in these internal worlds that I sometimes struggle to know what is real and what is not. When I was writing this song, I was avoiding my problems, and wishing so badly that I could just stay trapped in these fantasy worlds. I was also interested in the extreme masking that is involved with playing gigs whilst going through something like this. But ultimately, through hearing how others relate to some of the things in this song, I realised that everything is chaotic, no one knows what they are doing, and feeling ‘stuck’ is okay.

Sonically, how would you describe the EP you are finishing off?
Sonically we are inspired by jazz, soul, funk, punk, Australian grunge, classic rock, indie and alt-pop artists, and our EP will reflect that hearty genre soup. Each band mate listens to a totally different style of music, which makes our collaborative sessions unique. If you are looking for a specific descriptor, maybe try this one out for size; Our EP will sound like bubbles floating in an asbestos garage with the anxious house cat snoozing on the unused totem tennis set in the corner.

Did everything go to plan recording the EP?
We are spending a majority of July in the studio, so fingers crossed, everything will go exactly as planned.

Is it hard narrowing the song selection down to four to six songs?
One hundred times, yes. I find it hard finishing the songs I write, let alone selecting what goes into the EP. But that is the beauty of being in a band, we have a democratic vote on what stays in, and what gets thrown on the towering pile of unused voice memos.

Were there any significant influences for the band this time around?
Not really, I mean we are inspired EVERY DAY by the myriad of amazing artists and musicians such as the Beth’s, Courtney Barnett, and Stella Donnelly, but I generally try and write songs that sound like the inside of my brain.

What has the energy been like in the band room during rehearsals for the single launch?
The energy in rehearsals is always insane. Apart from being band mates, we are all best friends, so there’s generally a lot of unfiltered, tangential bullshit that goes on between songs. Gem (bassist) and I are trying to decide whether the single launch should be Prank Night.

What fans expect to hear at the launch?
People who come to our launch can expect to hear some of the brand-new songs from our EP that no one has heard before. They can expect to be absolutely DAZZLED by Sunsick Daisy and Sour Sob who are the beautiful bands on ,as well. And maybe an homage to Scott Pilgrim Versus the World.

Are there plans for more shows and touring around the country this year?
Man, we hope so. We want every goddamn queer in the country to hear this music. If they want to, of course.

What’s next for Oscar The Wild?
An EP release, lots of jumping, a better understanding of the operations of Tik Tok, a music video featuring Death on a waterslide, slow songs for waving, fast songs for headbanging, and eventual world domination.

Interview By Rob Lyon

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Catch Oscar The Wild launching their new single Pinch Me Please at Lion Arts Factory on Thursday April 6 with Sour Bob and Sunsick Daisy. Tickets from MoshTix…