London based artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Oscar Lang has today shared ‘Are You Happy?’ a brand new track taken from his upcoming debut album Chew The Scenery – out 16 July on Dirty Hit. Lang will also embark on a headline tour later this year, including a date at the Camden Assembly on 28 October with fellow rising star Molly Payton supporting at all shows. Pre-order Chew The Scenery from the Dirty Hit store by 18 May for exclusive pre-sale access HERE. Tickets will be on general sale from 21 May HERE.
‘Are You Happy?’ follows the release of previous single ‘Stuck’ which was praised by the likes of The Independent, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Clash, Dork, and Gigwise amongst others, and was supported at radio by Annie Mac, Jack Saunders, and Jess Iszatt on BBC Radio 1, John Kennedy at Radio X, and was added to the Amazing Radio playlist.
Chew The Scenery continues Lang’s prolific run of form, following the release of 3 EPs in 2020 alone. Traversing crisp, Beatles-esque psychedelia on Overthunk, snappy melodics on Hand Over Your Head, and searing psych-rock on Antidote To Being Bored, full length offering Chew The Scenery is an amalgamation of the broad sonic palette of this talented young songwriter. Preorder Chew The Scenery on all formats HERE.
Where previous single ‘Stuck’, a searing garage rock stomper set a frenetic pace for the record, new track ‘Are You Happy?’ is a breezier slice of catchy, sunsoaked indie pop; a superb demonstration of Lang’s songwriting versatility. Swimming in compassionate sentiment, Lang explains: “I wrote this tune about a mate that was having a really hard time and I wanted to let them know that I was there for them. I think it’s important to reach out to friends and family when they’re not doing great. It can be hard though, trying not to be too overbearing but I feel like this song is a great way of telling someone that you care about them.”
With Chew The Scenery taking in scuzzy indie rock dynamics, psychedelic flourishes, and even orchestral grandiosity along the way, Oscar Lang’s guiding light has been the art of embracing feeling. Though he lost his mother to suicide when he was just seven, Lang’s love of music comes in no small part due to her. A musician herself with a short-lived pop career in the ’80s, she gifted Lang his first piano – the same one that can be heard on his earliest recordings, including debut single ‘She Likes Another Boy’. “Thinking about her always spurred me on with music,” he says. “I like to think you let your parents live through you and that the best thing to do is not to grieve them, but give them a good life. I’m living the life she wanted for us both, and that’s really cool.”
By synthesising his love of bedroom pop, lo-fi indie rock, and Beach Boys-esque orchestral harmonies into one package, debut album Chew The Scenery is both Lang’s most cohesive project to date and his most ambitious. Spanning topics such as growing pains, love, romance, friendships and the pitfalls of social media on our collective mental health, and provided an outlet for Lang to escape the monotony of various UK lockdowns. “Over the past two years the sound of my music has changed a lot, from bedroom pop to rock” Lang explains. “We recorded the album over a month up in Liverpool. It was a nice break away from the tedious lockdown in the UK as I got to spend a month away with my mates doing what I love. I think you can hear that built-up boredom being released on the record.”
Mastering the art of production in his school years, Oscar Lang’s skill as a producer led to a fateful collaborative relationship with fellow Dirty Hit signee Beabadoobee – with Lang recording some of Bea’s first tracks at his home. He has since collaborated as producer and co-writer with an impressive number of rising indie and pop artists, including Alfie Templeman, Girl In Red, Claud, and Sports Team. While Lang’s solo output to date has drawn adoration from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Jack Saunders, national press such as The Sunday Times and i newspaper, and global tastemakers from Australia’s Triple J to American culture bible The FADER.
