by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Six years ago, back in 2016, Ireland garage punk/power-pop band Oh Boland released their official debut album, Spilt Milk, with Volar Records (Ice Balloons, Teenage Burritos, The Molds). The album was a great blend of easily digestible pop nuggets, delightfully sloppy vocal performances, and distorted guitars that rang out throughout it all. In the time since the release, the Dublin via Tuam based band have been relatively quiet, with their only release a compilation single. With the band set to hit the road next month together with Protomartyr, seems the time is right for a new record, which brings us to Cheap Things. Due out April 8th, the album was written years ago while on tour in the US, but due to moves across Ireland and life getting the way, Niall Murphy and co. never released the record. In the years that have passed, the band’s members have changed and they’ve already recorded a follow-up to this one, but Cheap Things deserves it’s time in the sun. It’s a great album of sprightly punk and noisy pop.
The record’s title track, “Cheap Things,” is balanced with a jangly Flying Nun style propulsion and a bit of barn-stomping boogie, which could come from the writing sessions taking place in the US’ southern territories. It’s a focused song with an earnest emotional spirit, as Murphy sings of cheap things, always sure to break down. It’s a feeling we can all understand, the idea that “you get what you pay for” but more so in life than in actual economics. They band play it tight, with a cracking rhythm, and big time hooks reminiscent of working class punk anthems. Just as the vocals seem to mumble their way off the rails, the band jump into a ripping guitar solo, and this one just keeps ramping up the good times.