In The Green Room: Oscar The Wild
Returning with grunge-adjacent track ‘Big Think’, Oscar the Wild remind us why getting eight hours of sleep can lead to moments of brilliance, new directions and great gigs.
Image Mayah Salter
Congrats on ‘Big Think’! Sonically, it’s a left-turn from what we’ve heard from Oscars in the past. What inspired this?
Nic: Thank you! When it was first written, it was quite a bit heavier than what we’ve done in the past, but it wasn’t until we were in production that it really started to take shape. We had a lot of direction from our producer, Rhys [Williams], who has the knack for big, loud guitars. I’m a big fan of grunge and the majority of us listen to this style of music, so we were pretty enthusiastic about the new direction!
Ruby: I worshipped Violent Soho as a teenager. Their Hungry Ghost tour at The Gov in 2014 was the first gig I went to on my own. It ignited my love for punk, grunge and noisy guitars. This is my homage to them!
Ariya: As a massive fan of punk, grunge and noisy bands, I was so excited when we wrote this song! It was so much fun to bring that influence from some of my favourite bands into the writing process and use it as inspiration for the overall sound of the track.
Tell us more about the story behind ‘Big Think’.
Ruby: ‘Big Think’ came out involuntarily, like vomit. At the time, I was thinking a lot about dreams and whether the waking hours are where we truly exist. I’m very lucky to be a deep, not-fussy sleeper – I get a corpse-like nine hours per night. But I do experience some hecticly vivid dreams. Sometimes I get caught watching dream memories and mourn that world a little bit. I do, however, apologise for edging the listener by repeating, “I think about it all the time”, without ever actually stating what ‘it’ is. Maybe people can insert their own ‘it’ when listening? You don’t have to think about your alternate dream self.
You said a new era of the band kicked off with this release of ‘Roll With The Punches’. This is our second taste of what that era is. How would you define this chapter of the band?
Nic: I think this new chapter of the band really kicked off after a slight lineup change and some time off after the first EP. We’ve really had fun experimenting and trying new styles we hadn’t really explored before and I think this body of work really embodies that. It’s been really fun to play around with different styles to see what clicks with us, and also our audience.
Ruby: Yes like Nic said — way more experimenting to come in the future. Both in studio and on stage. Community wise, we will continue honouring our roots by focusing on the freaks and the gays (and the often combined).
Ariya: We have always been a band who are true to ourselves and our community. I feel as we evolve and grow as people, our music is evolving and changing to reflect where we are at certain points in time. Like the others have said, we’ve been really enjoying experimenting with our sound and our songs and keeping that authenticity throughout.
You’re taking to Jive on April 19. It’s your first headline gig in Adelaide in a while – what should people expect?
Nic: Yeah, it’ll be our first hometown headline show since our EP launch in January last year, which blew our minds. We’re hoping that the ‘Big Think’ launch will be just as — if not more — fun than the last. We are putting so much work into the set list and material that perhaps people haven’t seen before so it’ll definitely be worthwhile!
Ruby: People should expect some new stuff, the old stuff, and a couple bangin’ covers. You’ll dance, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll (maybe) drink and you’ll (hopefully) mosh!
Ariya: We’re hoping this hometown headline is as fun as the last, lots of dancing and singing by all for sure!! There'll be plenty of surprises in this set so I guess you’ll just have to buy a ticket to find out?
You’ve asked The Genevieves and The Fuss to warm up the crowds. What do you think they add to the evening?
Nic: We’re so excited to have them on board! They’re both doing so well it seemed like a no brainer to ask them to join us for the show. It’s been so cool to see all the new crop coming up and smashing it and what they’ll bring will be absolutely electric.
Ruby: So, so stoked to have these local legends tearing it up with us. It shall be a loud, sweaty evening.
Ariya: These two bands are smashing it at the moment and their live sets are truly incredible!! People NEED to come early to this one because there is no way you can miss these two amazing bands!!
What’s next for you musically? What energy are you bringing to the rest of 2025?
Nic: The rest of this particular body of music is actually a lot more mellow than what we’ve put out so far! We are still keeping up the energy as we’re currently writing a bunch more stuff which we are so excited about sharing!
Ruby: To be completely honest, I’m not really sure what’s in store for the rest of 2025, aside from the very next release, which is my FAVOURITE, even if it is a little more mellow. Only time and unmedicated ADHD will unlock these future songs. Gear up, gently.
Ariya: Release wise, what the others said — a little bit more of a mellow vibe. Writing wise, we are continuing to bring that big, heavy Oscar energy. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us.
Oscar the Wild play at Jive this April 19, tickets on sale now.
