Music Review—Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Artist: Authority Zero
Album: Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Arizona punks Authority Zero are touring across Europe, Japan, The United States, and even a few stops in Quebec, in support of their latest album Ollie Ollie Oxen Free. The album is available for streaming anywhere you get your music.

Authority Zero consists of Jason DeVore on vocals, Chris Dalley on drums, Brandon Landelius on guitar, and Mike Spero on bass. Ollie Ollie Oxen Free has thirteen tracks: Ollie Ollie Oxen Free; Nowheres Land; The Good Fight; Fire Off Another; Ear To Ear (featuring Igari Shuhei and HEY-SMITH; The Back Nine; Fully Operational; Seas and Serpents; A New Day; Don’t Tear Me Down (featuring Jim Lindberg and Pennywise); Have You Ever; For What It’s Worth; and Bruiser. The band has also recently released a music video for the song “Fire Off Another,” which pays homage to the movie Fight Club.

Of the music video, Devore says, “Fire Off Another” was released on the one-year anniversary of our latest record “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” and is a cinematic creation mirroring the storyline and imagery of the classic 1999 David Fincher film “Fight Club.” It reflects the highs and lows of our innermost fears and demons that hold us back while at the same time try setting us free. That inner turmoil or voice inside us all of right and wrong within and having the courage to know the difference and take a stand when it matters most.”

After listening to the album, Authority Zero is definitely leaning on the heavier side of punk. They remind me of bands like Green Day and Rise Against. The songs are all loud, fast, and in-your-face punk.  The exception is “A New Day,” which is an acoustic song with a country or folk vibe to it. My favourite song on Ollie Ollie Oxen Free is “The Back Nine.” In my opinion, this song feels like the radio-friendly single that heavier bands would release so their music would reach a wider audience—it’s a catchy and fun song.

As for the rest of the album, I found that most of the songs blend together—even the tracks featuring other artists are nearly indistinguishable from one another. I also found that I had a hard time making sense of many of the lyrics, as if the band was trying so hard to be poetic that the meaning behind the words was lost.

I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the music video for “Fire Off Another,” even though the song itself wasn’t my favourite. The quality of the video was top-notch, and the idea to pay homage to one of the best movies of all time was so fun and creative.

Overall, I wasn’t a fan of Ollie Ollie Oxen Free. However, with over 20,000 followers on Instagram and a world-wide tour on the go, Authority Zero seems to be doing just fine.

Check out Authority Zero on their website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.