When Sheffield’s O Captain first emerged with the ‘Ghetto Hikes’ EP, we were blown away. Seemingly out of nowhere, the band delivered three slabs of shimmering, Smiths-influenced emo-pop. As debuts go, it was far more polished and confident than it had any right to be and we were sonically salivating at the prospect of hearing more.
And then…nothing.
Almost two years later, the Northern quartet have finally returned and it’s clear that things have changed. The essence of the band’s sound is there – a driving rhythm section augmented by guitars which veer between punk crunch and understated, indie embellishment – but they’ve matured. The guitar landscapes on ‘Swimming Pool’ are more considered and atmospheric than anything on its predecessor, and opener ‘Within’ features pummeling guitars and drums that at points verge on chugging, pop-punk beatdowns.
While O Captain have undeniably become a better band as they gestated in whatever cocoon they disappeared into, somewhere during the metamorphosis they’ve lost the hooks which made them so appealing to start with. It’s easy to see why they might be proud of the complexities of a song like EP closer ‘Without’, but there was a joyful abandon to the pop sensibilities of older songs like ‘Summer Party Jam’ which has completely disappeared.
If we had to summarise the transformation in four words, they’d be “Better music, worse songs”. O Captain’s progression makes perfect sense and ‘Within & Without’ is a beautifully-recorded, crisp, assured set of songs from a band clearly brimming with talent; it’s just possible they’ve spent too much time thinking and not enough time feeling.
ROB BARBOUR