Extreme sounds do not require to be of the metal realm, though that’s surely where you will find the bulk of it. Music that’s challenging, can push your mental and physical boundaries, and that draws a little bit of blood does go well with distortion and aggressiveness, but when it weaves into something unexpected, it hits even harder.
Lane Shi Otayonii is no stranger to the metal world, having added her unique vocals to Elizabeth Colour Wheel and Førn, and outside of that, she is an incredibly accomplished musician, having done a residency at Roadburn and contributed to the opera “SANCTA.” Here, Otayonii debuts her new project Otay:Onii with “Love Is in the Shit,” a peculiar, playful, disarming, alarming, comical, punishing display that cannot fit into any genre at all. Definitely not metal, though her glass-shattering shrieks sound from there. The rest contains almost every style I can think of, none of them mainstream in any sense, and it feels like Otayonii is exploring numerous characters and life arcs within singles songs. Plus, her voice is diverse and properly menacing, something that lures you through the labyrinths contained within this vast creation.
“Have You Ever” buzzes, Otayonii’s singing gushing as the music is bouncy but dark, even weirdly jazzy. The keys pulse and swim into void, sending lasers across lightless nothing, the final moments feeling like a blur. “Love From Survivors” basks in a noise storm that’s almost visible, shrieks melting psyches as the singing floats beneath, the pathway heading into anguish. Beats echo as the singing moves through your brain, feeling like you’re half-consciously staring at the night sky, icing away your wounds. “World Class Citizen” is a warbling interlude, alien singing slicing through black holes, beeps piercing, bubbling. “No Talent” has pianos dripping and playful singing, the words drizzling, fuzzy weirdness building in veins. The playing seeps from cracks through time, zapping, feeling both bright and fucked, everything strangely alluring.
“The Plaice” has pianos glazing, taking on a Fiona Apple vibe, Otayonii calling, “Do not cast on me no more fears,” as screams disrupt the tension. The pace murmurs alongside pumping synth clouds, the heat scalding, liquifying and sinking into layers, the chorus repeating as airy melodies enrapture. “Underdog Bark” is a cacophony of chaos, nightmares spreading over worlds, voices swirling in horrors. Surreal energy rises as sounds lather, making the juices inside your body heat up. Closer “Tears Won’t Tell” runs 10:40, keys and beats uniting, darkness pumping like a diseased tributary. Wails penetrate the frost, the pace picking up as the vocals meander, storms hovering overhead, wrenching at nerves. Warbles strike as hand drumming encircles, cries swarming, a weird sawing noise slowly cutting through bones, the final strains fading into sleep.
“Love Is in the Shit” is a harrowing experience, an incredibly challenging first creation under the “Otay:Onii” banner for this artist who always finds way to surprise and sometimes terrify. These songs go from floods of positive light to the absolute depths of insanity, wrestling with the full gamut of human emotion. It’s the center of a horror show from which it’s impossible to turn away, and each listen provides a fresh perspective of scars that have been traced over millions of times.
For more on the band, go here: https://otayonii.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://www.athousandarmsstore.com/collections/otay-onii
Or here: https://pelagic-records.com/home/
For more on the label, go here: https://pelagic-records.com/
Meat Mead Metal 