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OSCAR  LANG
shares new single 
’21st CENTURY HOBBY’
taken from
upcoming debut album
 ‘CHEW THE SCENERY’
Out 16th July via Dirty Hit

LISTEN HERE

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London based artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Oscar Lang has today shared ‘21st Century Hobby’ – a brand new track from his upcoming debut album CHEW THE SCENERY out Friday 16th July on Dirty Hit. Lang will also embark on a headline tour later this year, including a date at the Camden Assembly on 28 October – with fellow rising star Molly Payton supporting at all shows.

‘21st Century Hobby’ follows the release of his previous single ‘Stuck’ and ‘Are You Happy?’ which were praised by the likes of The Independent, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Clash, Dork, and Gigwise amongst others, and supported at radio by Annie Mac, Jack Saunders, and Jess Iszatt on BBC Radio 1 and John Kennedy at Radio X.

CHEW THE SCENERY continues Lang’s prolific run of form, following the release of  3 EPs in 2020 alone. Traversing crisp, Beatles-esque psychedelia on OVERTHUNK, snappy melodics on HAND OVER YOUR HEAD, and searing psych-rock on ANTIDOTE TO BEING BORED, full length offering CHEW THE SCENERY is an amalgamation of the broad sonic palette of this talented young songwriter.

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With CHEW THE SCENERY taking in scuzzy indie-rock dynamics, psychedelic flourishes, and even orchestral grandiosity along the way, Oscar Lang’s guiding light has been the art of embracing feeling. His new offering; ‘21st Century Hobby’ explores the toxic effects of social media on our mental health. Lang explains: “‘21st Century Hobby’ is a tune based on the idea of society’s obsession with sharing your life online and comparing yourself to other people. There was one point where I was spending 13 hours a week on social media, which equated to about a month every year. That was a really dark time for me – I always thought that it would never affect me, but it took some time to realise that it was subconsciously affecting my mental health.”

Through the loss of his mother to suicide when he was just seven, Lang’s love of music comes in no small part due to her. A musician herself with a short-lived pop career in the ‘80s, she gifted Lang his first piano – the same one that can be heard on his earliest recordings, including his debut single ‘She Likes Another Boy’. “Thinking about her always spurred me on with music,” he says. “I like to think you let your parents live through you and that the best thing to do is not to grieve for them, but give them a good life. I’m living the life she wanted for us both, and that’s really cool.”  

By synthesising his love of bedroom pop, lo-fi indie rock, and Beach Boys-esque orchestral harmonies into one package, debut album CHEW THE SCENERY is both Lang’s most cohesive project to date and his most ambitious. Spanning topics such as growing pains, love, romance, friendships and the pitfalls of social media on our collective mental health, and provided an outlet for Lang to escape the monotony of various UK lockdowns. “Over the past two years, the sound of my music has changed a lot, from bedroom pop to rock” Lang explains. “We recorded the album over a month up in Liverpool. It was a nice break away from the tedious lockdown in the UK as I got to spend a month away with my mates doing what I love. I think you can hear that built-up boredom being released on the record.” 

Mastering the art of production in his school years, Oscar Lang’s skill as a producer led to a fateful collaborative relationship with fellow Dirty Hit signee Beabadoobee – with Lang recording some of Bea’s first tracks at his home. He has since collaborated as producer and co-writer with an impressive number of rising indie and pop artists, including Alfie Templeman, Girl In Red, Claud, and Sports Team. While Lang’s solo output to date has drawn adoration from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Jack Saunders, national press such as The Sunday Times and i newspaper, and global tastemakers from Australia’s Triple J to American culture bible The FADER.

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OUT JULY 16 VIA DIRTY HIT
BUY / STREAM / WATCH

Artwork by – Giovanni Forlino

OSCAR LANG
CHEW THE SCENERY
Tracklist

1. Our Feature Presentation
2. 21st Century Hobby
 3. I Could Swear
 4. Stuck
 5. Yeah!
 6. Headphones
 7. Write Me A Letter
8. Intermission
9. Are You Happy
10. Quarter Past Nine
 11. Take Time Out
12. Final Call
13. Thank You

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Praise for Oscar Lang

“Ethereal sunshine pop” – The Guardian

“Lang channels the Beach Boys and West Coast soft pop, with a side order of Supergrass” – The Sunday Times Culture

“Oscar Lang’s lo-fi pop tunes will worm their way into your brain and take up residence for the foreseeable future.” – The FADER

“A Brit-rock trip with psychedelic new taste” – The Line Of Best Fit

“Oscar Lang may just be the sound of the summer we are all hoping to have” – CLASH

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Follow OSCAR LANG
Youtube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – DB