Oswald Slain on Their Fuzz-Driven Sound, Upcoming EP, and Navigating Today’s Music World
We caught up with Oswald Slain to discuss the gear behind their sound, their upcoming EP and UK tour, the struggle of maintaining an online presence, and their take on everything from dream collaborations to the fate of music videos in the streaming era.
Oswald Slain is an energetic force in the alternative rock scene, blending fuzz-driven guitars with an undeniable Americana spirit. As they gear up to release their upcoming EP, 'Kiss Me On The Mouth', and hit the road for a UK tour, the band continues to carve out a space that’s entirely their own.
In this interview, we talk about the gear that shapes their sound, their thoughts on the modern music landscape, dream collaborations, the challenges they’ve faced as a band, and much more.
Eugenia Roditis, Musicngear: Let’s talk gear! Your sound blends fuzzy guitars with classic Americana influences. What’s your go-to setup for recording and live shows? Any specific pedals, amps, or synths that define your tone?
Yes. Gear. Love it. For live, I use a Wem Dominator mk1…. It's actually an old bass amp from the '70s, but it just has the best sound and packs a massive punch live. I also tend to use it when recording to open up choruses and give them a bit more oooomff. It's a really cool amp, and I bought it for £150 a few years back from some old fella’s daughter who had been storing it in his attic for 40 years!! Absolute bargain.
Recording-wise, and especially on ‘UGLY,’ we recorded all the guitars through an old crate practice bass amp. It's not valve or anything…It's literally the worst and cheapest practice amp money can buy, but I love the way it records. It was a friend of mine a long time ago, and I used to do some of my first recordings through it when I was 15, so it's been in the family for a long time.
One particular pedal I love and use all the time is called the 'Fat Bastard’ by BMF effects, which a good friend kind of lent me and hasn’t quite asked for it back yet. It will be a sad day when that happens.
Musicngear: If you had to build a pedal inspired by the ‘UGLY’ single, what would it do?
Turn the current situation into plasticine. Like you turn it on, and everything looks like it's made of plasticine until you turn it off.
Musicngear: Every band faces struggles - what have been the biggest challenges for Oswald Slain, and what advice would you give to other artists trying to push forward?
Building a good online presence seems to be tricky for us. None of us are naturally interested in doing it really so it feels kind of hard to create content and keep consistent with it. Something we’re working on improving, though. :)
My advice would be to learn and enjoy how to do everything yourself, from production to posters to videos. It's not just music...It's more than that.
Musicngear: With the upcoming release of ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth,’ what are your main goals? More streams, festival slots, blog coverage, or something else entirely? How are you making it happen?
Oooo...we’d love to get on a good support tour.
Musicngear: Dream collaborations - if you could work with any artist, living or dead, who would it be? And what’s the ultimate venue or festival you’d love to play?
I’d love to make a music video with Andy Warhol.
I think the dream show would be West Holts or the Other Stage at Glastonbury.
Musicngear: If time travel was an option, would you rather headline Woodstock ’69, tour with The Strokes in the early 2000s, or be the surprise guest on a groundbreaking 1970s music show?
Headline Woodstock 69. I have that whole thing on vinyl and listen to it all the time.
Musicngear: Given that Spotify pays musicians mere pennies while raking in billions, do you believe the music industry would be better or worse off if the platform disappeared overnight?
Yes.
Musicngear: If you could replace the soundtrack of any movie with Oswald Slain’s music, which movie would it be, and which song of yours would steal the show?
Not sure about movies, but I always thought it would work well on the Netflix series. “End of the F*cking world”. The song would probably be a track called ‘Bucky,’ but it's not going to be coming out for a while.
Musicngear: If from now on you had to choose only one format to release visuals for your music, what would that be? Official music videos or TikToks/Shorts/Reels? And why?
Official music videos are such a dying art. I would love to go back to that. I don’t think you can convey the same feelings in TikToks and Reels in any way at all.
The world has such a short attention span now from flicking through TikToks and reels for the last few years. I’m guilty of it, too, but yeah. Some of those 90s’ music videos were true works of art.
Musicngear: Your single ‘UGLY’ is partly inspired by Boogie Nights. What’s the most ‘ugly yet beautiful’ thing you’ve ever seen at a gig or on tour?
Probably Rhii’s drumming face.
Musicngear: What exciting plans do you have for the future, both in terms of new music and live performances? Are there any specific goals or projects you're looking forward to exploring in the coming months?
We’ve got an E.P. called ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’ coming out this April alongside a little run of dates around the UK, which we are really excited about.
You can catch us in these places:
April 17th, 2025 - Trillians, Newcastle
April 18th, 2025 -Indie Cafe, Scunthorpe
April 19th, 2025 - The Snug, Atherton
April 25th, 2025 - 229 The Venue, London
April 26th, 2025 - Rossi Bar, Brighton
May 2nd- The Golden Lion, Bristol
Connect with Oswald Slain
Facebook // Instagram // TikTok // Spotify
Be sure to catch them live on tour and, in the meantime, check out their latest single, "Sean Paul", streaming now on all platforms. And keep your radars up—Kiss Me On The Mouth drops this April!
About Eugenia Roditis
Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.
Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com
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