An Image of Oh The Humanity! Via Earshot Media
December has been a heavy metal-loaded month, with many big and anticipated releases. Among these rock releases were three singles by the Massachusetts band Oh The Humanity!. Having previously released two albums, Oh The Humanity! is generating buzz for its third by dropping three singles before the album’s January release date.
“Love Irresolute” Cover Via the Band’s Spotify Page
The first single, “Gutted”, was released on October 22 of this year. This song features a quick-paced classic rock feel with an extra boost of guitar shreds and screamo-style vocals. These screamo vocals are mixed in during some elements of the main chorus but are not the primary vocal style. They act as a nice throw-in here and there to break up the song and keep the listener intrigued. The primary vocals have a classic punk feeling, reminiscent of Billie Joe Armstrong. The lyrics themselves focus on the concept of learning self-worth and embracing every element of life. The audio mixing is done perfectly, no elements overlap or overpower each other. Overall, the layers of this song blend perfectly to create a harmonious yet attention-grabbing punk song. This song is anticipated to be the first song on the album and would certainly be a powerful and well-produced opening track.
“Gutted” Cover Via Earshot Media
“Love Irresolute” is the second of these singles released by Oh, The Humanity!. This song came out on November 14, 2024. This track leans less into the screamo and heavy metal styling, centering more around the punk rock genre. The beat feels similar to “Gutted” but has a lighter tone of guitar and significantly less bass. This song makes a unique use of vocal layering and harmonies by layering a higher-pitched and softer recording underneath the raspy and punkish primary vocals. This creates an interesting harmonization which worked surprisingly well against the rock sound of the instrumentals. The end of the song also had a well-arranged chorus of voices, providing a strong finish and tying in this harmonization. The lyrics seem to center around the feeling of shame and uncertainty that follows losing something you love, emphasizing the importance of fighting for what is important in one’s life instead of giving up. At times, it became a bit difficult to hear the lyrics since they were a bit drowned out by the mixing of the guitar. The vocals could also have been mixed louder so that the words of the song could be better heard and appreciated, since the ones that were audible seemed to hold good meaning and lyrical writing. The written form of the lyrics were also nowhere to be found online. Many times, bands choose to include these in a lyric video, in the YouTube description, in the Spotify lyrics tab, or on the “Genius” lyric website. This resource can prove to be a valuable resource for listeners, allowing them to still connect to and reference a songs meaning even when the mixing of a song is off.
“Upper Riffspiratory Infection” Cover Via Earshot Media
The final and most recent release was “Upper Riffspiratory Infection”, which was just published on December 5, 2024. This song is attractive to a listener right from the attention-grabbing play of words in the title. As expected, the song delivered with many wonderfully executed and infectious guitar riffs. This track sounds similar enough to the other two singles to be evidently from the same album and band while also bringing some unique elements to the table. One such unique element was the change in pace of the song’s tempo. The track featured a slower tempo at times, which serves as a nice break from the fast punk music so it can truly be appreciated by the listener. The lyrics of “Upper Riffspiratory Infection” primarily discuss the issue of dwelling on the good and the bad of the past instead of living in the present. One lyric that was repeated throughout the song stated, “Old wounds can reopen when we stretch ourselves too thin”. This lyric, along with many others, hold wisdom and can serve as important messages many people may need to hear, even while the instrumentals focus on keeping the song lighthearted, spunky, and enjoyable. Truly, the lyrics of this song were expertly written and performed. The mixing of this track was far better than “Love Irresolute”, allowing for every element to be properly heard. This song was the best of the three and stood as a great final song to create hype around their new album.
All three of these singles were very strong and showed great promise for the album’s release. Their newest LP titled “Ground to Dust” will be released on January 24, 2025. These three singles are available for streaming on most platforms, and the band frequently posts on their Facebook and Instagram pages. These are a great place to follow them for updates on further releases and concerts.