Founded by Patrick Glen and featuring members of Unpaid Intern, the Hipshakes, Jeuce and the Early Mornings, Oort Clod are a “check your assumptions at the door” kinda band from Manchester. Their latest record Cult Value reveals that they are untouched by genre boundaries and expectations, and true believers of letting their creative moods and musical influences take them wherever and whenever. The result is a strangely coherent shuffle-the-deck blend of ’80s (and ’90s) alternative rock, underground pop, ’90 slacker indie rock, the Flying Nun catalogue and ’60s garage.
There is a noticeable sense of urgency fueling Cult Value. Oort Clod throw a lot at you and do so forcefully, playing like they can’t wait to get to the end of the song to show you what they’ve cooked up next. This is a punchy record full of surprises including a version of the extensively covered 96 Tears that nobody asked for but I think will yield many taps on the shoulder. The real kicker for me though was discovering though how much fun this 11-song collection is and, for lack of a better description, how much it rocks.
Cult Value is out now through the trusted UK/US partnership that is Safe Suburban Home and Repeating Cloud.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp