“Feel gratitude for the fact you’re alive in this world”
On the 17th of December, Olly E had announced a brand-new single Through Oblivion, and within four weeks this single has already attracted over 10,000 streams on Spotify. Olly E has since expressed his excitement of his new single on Live, Local and Loud – a radio channel known for promoting upcoming successful Leicestershire musicians. But Olly E’s promotions of this track does not stop there; Through Oblivion has also been broadcast on The Island Radio and BBC Radio Leicester. Indeed, Olly E continues to contribute to the wonderful Leicester music scene, capturing the trust of local venues and broadcasters with each track he releases.
I knew I would enjoy reviewing Through Oblivion based on my previous experience reviewing his powerful track Beyond this Reality. Olly E has once more hit a home run with his versatile use of rap and vocal melodies to perform an alternative rock sensation. Beginning the single with a nice, choppy palm-muted guitar and popping drums, the listener is given the pleasure to build their energy around all the elements introduced.
The song is hyper and uplifting, with raw instrumentation and an appealing chord progression that is familiar and simple, which really makes this song stick into the listener’s head. It would not be a classic Olly E hit without an epic and well-coordinated guitar instrumental, and immaculate use of vocal melodies and variations to fill in void spaces in the track. Overall, this track has proven to be a success, with his music video gaining the attention of over 7,000 viewers in only four weeks.
This single is particularly reminiscent of the good-old early 2000s pop-punk era, with a modern twist to maintain relevance and attraction to a wider audience. Boys Like Girls’ The Great Escape would be a good example of how Olly E utilises elements of music from that era to craft his own take on that genre, and mould it into this alternative rock dreamscape.
Once again, Olly E presents music reminiscent of Linkin Park by manipulating vocal melodies and rap into a recipe to form a rock and electronic combination, whilst also giving a slight nudge towards bands such as All Time Low- with uplifting lyrics alongside a desirable urge to get the listener on their feet.
Once again Olly E has created a single that not only speaks through his own experiences as an ‘outsider’ but invites others into his world and rewards them through “congratulations” for facing their fears and pursuing life through oblivion. Such an empowering song from one of Leicester’s prominent songwriters; I look forward to the next single Olly E releases.
Watch his music video for Through Oblivion here.
You can listen to his single here.
Reviewed by Imogen Cresswell
Release date 17th December 2021
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