Oxy Music

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Oxy Music
Studio album by
Alex Cameron
Released11 March 2022 (2022-03-11)
Genre
Length34:03
LabelSecretly Canadian
ProducerAlex Cameron
Alex Cameron chronology
Miami Memory
(2019) 		Oxy Music
(2022)
Singles from Oxy Music
  1. "Sara Jo"
    Released: 17 November 2021
  2. "Best Life"
    Released: 20 January 2022
  3. "K Hole"
    Released: 1 March 2022

Oxy Music is the fourth studio album by Australian musician Alex Cameron, released on 11 March 2022 by the record label Secretly Canadian.[2] Produced by Cameron himself, the album maintains his distinct storytelling style from the perspectives of various characters. Initially inspired by Nico Walker's autofictional novel Cherry (2018), Oxy Music primarily revolves around a fictional man grappling with the opioid epidemic in the United States.[3] The album's release was preceded by the singles "Sara Jo",[4] "Best Life"[5] and "K Hole".[6] Critically, the album has garnered generally favorable reviews.[7]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[8]
Metacritic73/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
American Songwriter[9]
Clash7/10[10]
DIY[11]
Exclaim!7/10[12]
Mojo[13]
NME[14]
Pitchfork5.0/10[15]
The Skinny[16]
Uncut7/10[17]

Oxy Music was released to a positive reception from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[7] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[8]

Ryan Bell of DIY wrote, "Its steady pace and relatively tame nature (by his standards) means it might not be his most immediately striking release, but it's still testament to his talent as an astute alt-pop songwriter."[11] Michael Di Gennaro of Exclaim wrote, "Oxy Music's greatest strength is that it makes the plight of an addict easy to understand and sympathize with, and may even help addicts who tune in feel less alone."[12]

In a negative review, Sophie Kemp of Pitchfork criticized the album's production as being among the weakest in Cameron's career. Kemp also criticized its concept, writing, "More than anything, it takes on the quality of a short story written by a young student trying to cram as many neon lights, bongs, uzis, blow jobs, g-strings, and jokes into 10 pages as possible. For how clearly smart, ambitious, and upsettingly tuneful Cameron is, it’s a pity that he uses his talent for these exercises in sophistry, music that feels so vacuous and fleeting that it becomes one with the very modernity it seeks to lampoon."[15]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Alex Cameron, with contributions by Justin Nijssen, Roy Molloy, Lloyd Vines and Jason Williamson

No.TitleLength
1."Best Life"3:14
2."Sara Jo"3:02
3."Prescription Refill"3:31
4."Hold the Line"4:13
5."Breakdown"3:19
6."K Hole"3:30
7."Dead Eyes"3:30
8."Cancel Culture" (featuring Lloyd Vines)3:33
9."Oxy Music" (featuring Jason Williamson)6:11
Total length:34:03

Personnel[edit]

Performance
  • Alex Cameron – vocals, piano, keyboards, drum machine
  • Henri Lindström – drums, percussion
  • Justin Nijssen – bass, guitar, vocals
  • Lilah Larson – guitar, vocals
  • Jess Parsons – piano, keyboards, vocals
  • Roy Molloy – saxophone
  • Chris Pitsiokos – saxophone
  • Lloyd Vines – vocals
  • Jason Williamson – vocals
  • Jackie McLean – vocals
Technical
  • Alex Cameron – production, recording
  • Justin Nijssen – additional production
  • Lilah Larson – additional production
  • Lauri Eloranta – drum recording
  • Kai Campos – mixing (all tracks)
  • Danny Trachtenberg – mixing (1)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
Art
  • Jemima Kirke – cover photography
  • McLean Stephenson – cover photograph edit
  • Nick Scott – layout

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Oxy Music
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 81
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[19] 39
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[20] 99

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pudzianowski, Lydia (18 March 2022). "Alex Cameron, Oxy Music". FLOOD Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. ^ Corcoran, Nina (20 January 2022). "Alex Cameron Announces New Album and Tour, Shares New Song "Best Life"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Oxy Music by Alex Cameron". Bandcamp. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. ^ Helfand, Raphael (17 November 2021). "Alex Cameron gets back in character for "Sara Jo"". The Fader. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  5. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (20 January 2022). "Alex Cameron – "Best Life"". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  6. ^ Young, David James (1 March 2022). "Alex Cameron falls into a 'K Hole' on third single from 'Oxy Music'". NME. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Oxy Music by Alex Cameron Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Oxy Music by Alex Cameron reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  9. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (15 March 2022). "Review: Alex Cameron Dares to be Defiant". American Songwriter. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  10. ^ Hall, Samantha (14 March 2022). "Alex Cameron - Oxy Music". Clash. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  11. ^ a b Bell, Ryan (9 March 2022). "Alex Cameron - Oxy Music review". DIY. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  12. ^ a b Di Gennaro, Michael (10 March 2022). "Alex Cameron Confronts Addiction with Care on 'Oxy Music'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  13. ^ Aizlewood, John (April 2022). "Alex Cameron – Oxy Music: Fourth LP from Australian Killers collaborator". Mojo. No. 341. p. 83.
  14. ^ Woods, Cat (11 March 2022). "Alex Cameron – 'Oxy Music' review: Conceptual synthpop that leaves you a little cold". NME. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  15. ^ a b Kemp, Sophie (14 March 2022). "Alex Cameron: Oxy Music Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  16. ^ Davison, Bethany (7 March 2022). "Alex Cameron – Oxy Music". The Skinny. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  17. ^ Anderson, Jason (April 2022). "Alex Cameron – Oxy Music: Sharp-witted yachtsman flays some new targets". Uncut. No. 299. p. 25.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Alex Cameron Chart History: Top Current Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
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