Compared to its 2013 predecessor, Am, TRU is less late-80s Dino Jr., more early-90s Sebadoh: While Ovlov are still as wonderfully wooly ever, theyre unleashing the noise in more purposeful, sculpted spurts and displaying a greater willingness to let their melodies sparkle through the clouds of distortion. Tuneful, feedback-slathered surges like Half Way Fine and Spright feel as comfortable as a beaten-up pair of Chuck Taylors, introducing dramatic dynamic shifts and savvy melodic change-ups to keep you on your toes. You may not always be able to make out Hartletts lyrics amid the cyclonic fuzz, but the despondence and disillusionment in his voice always cut through loud and clear. And when he cant quite find the right words, he and fellow guitarist Morgan Luzzi unleash that simmering angst through nonverbal means, like the roiling guitar tsunami that brings the hazy-headed Baby Alligator to a cataclysmic close.

Format / LP
Released / 04/25/2025
Catalogue / EIS-080C
Barcode / 843563185735
Artist / Ovlov
Label / Exploding In Sound Records
Genre / Pop / Rock