Fascinated by the sonic, visual, and transcendent possibilities of music, Melbourne's Lachlan P. Rother – a composer, producer, and audio engineer as well as multi-instrumentalist – creates music under the Ohms moniker.
Formerly fronting local group U-Bahn (2018-2020), while currently the guitarist of post-punk outfit GLASNOST and drummer of High Control Group, Ohms' newest release is titled 'Declined (A Requiem For Human Services)'.Galactic space funk that slays hard, with squelchy beats, fuzz-laced rhythm and a cascading flow of energy that sweeps you along, Ohms has created a psychedelic surreal ride that's part Parliament, part Beatles ('Yellow Submarine' era), part Flying Lotus.
The track bounds along with an inescapable feverish enthusiasm that will reach deep inside you, the chaotic flow state fully immersing itself in your being as the track swings from melodic dreamy '60s pop through to psychosis-inducing experimental celestial rock.
A song lyrically rooted in navigating bureaucracy and the endless warrens of departments an individual must traverse to reach their end goal (the 'burgeoning anxiousness' as Ohms puts it), 'Declined' is a frenzied, frenetic, if somewhat whimsical sonic journey that both highlights the inadequacies of red tape while providing the right tones for a dance bop.
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow (25 July), today scenestr is delighted to premiere 'Declined (A Requiem For Human Services)' today. Enjoy.
"The track is a frantic, paranoid glimpse into the seemingly endless paths one must traverse when navigating bureaucracy," shares Ohms.
"Distorted, menacing guitar hooks meet thudding, punchy drums to create incredibly catchy, and pop-centric verses, which effortlessly melt away to unveil a dreamy melancholia – yearning for a return to days of childlike naivety.
"With a vast array of influences the likes of Ariel Pink, Zappa, Faust, The Beach Boys, and Roy Orbison, 'Declined' draws upon the aforementioned collective subconscious, to deliver melodies that feel uncannily familiar."
A song Ohms has whittled away at for half-a-decade plus performing all the instrumentation himself, Lachlan recorded, engineered, and mixed 'Decline' with Andrew Robinson and Timothy Dunn. It was mastered by Mikey Young (of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring). "The recording process for this track dates back a number of years, with a number of incarnations," Lachlan says.
"Originally conceived through extremely low-fidelity means, prior to understanding the basics of audio engineering, 'Declined' slowly morphed into a track that I wished to do justice, as I thought the melody was too catchy to ignore.
"Over a number of years I recorded the track (as well as eleven other tracks) in four different studios, with three different engineers, producing and editing each take from my home studio."
