Oh Boland – Western Leisure – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Irish band Oh Boland are preparing to release a third album of their patented quirky guitar pop.  It opens with the bright, punky Grass Walls, with powerful guitar riffs from Niall Murphy.  Here Comes The Order of Malta is an anthemic singalong and a vocal from Murphy best described as ‘Malkmus-ian’.

Loose, breezy guitar pop is the order of the day on The Cult of A Western Rail Corridor, (No More) Soft Talk and Bishop St, the latter featuring a cracking guitar solo.  The title track goes full on country, complete with steel guitar, turning into a right hoe-down.  Later, Spectatoring and A Power of Wides are if anything even looser than what went before.  Western Leisure pt 2 is all over the place in the best possible way, particularly the last minute and a half, a thrilling guitar-filled coda.

Sloppy, at times ropey but never dull, this is what being in a guitar band should sound like.

Here Comes The Order of Malta