WRITTEN BY CHERRYLLE URBANO
Imagine being transported back to the 1980s, a time when rock dominated the radio stations and your bedroom walls were plastered with posters of your favorite bands. Oswald Slain, a Bristol-based rock group, channels that old-school rock spirit in their newly released debut single, “Happiness Is Overrated,” which dropped on November 8th.
Lead vocalist and lyricist Charlie Fitzgerald brings a raw, raspy edge to his voice that perfectly complements the band’s classic rock soundscape. Their infectious rhythm will have you nodding along to the beat. Fitzgerald’s storytelling truly shines in “Happiness Is Overrated”—I found myself dancing around my room, strumming an air guitar. The bridge is a standout moment, stripping back the instrumentation to let Fitzgerald’s voice take center stage. It’s an emotional, introspective highlight that demands your full attention.
The song is irresistibly catchy and refreshingly different from the mainstream music saturating streaming platforms today. In a press release, Fitzgerald shared his inspiration behind the track:
“Happiness Is Overrated is a rise above misery and a rebellion against the pressures of being ‘happy’. The song came out of a pretty low point in my life: Final lock down, locked up at home. Everything had kinda fallen apart in my musical world and we were just drinking corner shop wine and trying to keep morale up. I had been listening to Bob Dylan’s ‘115th Dream’ on repeat and loved the story-telling aspect of the lyricism, so enjoying writing something with lots of words and more of a storyline."
I genuinely believe this type of music is exactly what rock fans, like me, have been waiting for to reignite the genre. As a lover of classic rock, I’ve struggled to find a modern band that ticks all the boxes—but Oswald Slain has surpassed my expectations. I can’t wait to hear more from them!