Protean Threat is the twenty-third studio album by American garage rock band Osees, released on September 18, 2020, on Castle Face Records.[4] Following the band's previous album, double LP Face Stabber, frontman John Dwyer has said that he intended for Protean Threat to be much like a punk album, shorter in length and composed primarily of short songs.[5] It is the band's first full-length album to be released under the name Osees.
| Protean Threat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Sonic Ranch | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:24 | |||
| Label | Castle Face | |||
| Producer |
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| Osees chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Protean Threat | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[2] |
| Under the Radar | 7.5/10[3] |
Background and release edit
In an apparent response to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread cancellation of concerts, the band initially previewed the album in a rough form as a single take live rehearsal video that premiered on YouTube in March 2020, albeit with a different track order.[6]
Two tracks performed during the Protean Threat live rehearsal video but ultimately not included on the album were subsequently released elsewhere. “Dark Weald” came out as a limited edition lathe cut vinyl single on August 23, 2020, and was later released digitally. A cover of the Alice Cooper & The Spiders song “Don’t Blow Your Mind” then came out on the band’s Weirdo Hairdo EP, released December 18. 2020.
On December 11, 2020, Osees released Panther Rotate, a remix album featuring experimental reworkings of several tracks from Protean Threat.[7]
Tracks from Protean Threat were also performed as part of Osees' live recording and subsequent album Levitation Sessions, one of two pay-per-view streamed shows the band put on in 2020.[8]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scramble Suit II" | 2:27 |
| 2. | "Dreary Nonsense" | 1:34 |
| 3. | "Upbeat Ritual" | 2:11 |
| 4. | "Red Study" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Terminal Jape" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "Wing Run" | 2:06 |
| 7. | "Said the Shovel" | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Mizmuth" | 2:09 |
| 9. | "If I Had My Way" | 2:47 |
| 10. | "Toadstool" | 4:56 |
| 11. | "Gong of Catastrophe" | 4:42 |
| 12. | "Canopnr '74" | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Persuaders Up!" | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 38:24 | |
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from AllMusic.[9]
Osees
- John Dwyer – guitar, vocals, synthesizers, mellotron, tape effects, percussion, samples, inner sleeve photo
- Tim Hellman – bass
- Tomas Dolas – keyboards
- Dan Rincon – drums
- Paul Quattrone – drums, space drum trigger
Technical personnel
- Dylan Marcus McConnell – artwork
- Enrique Tena Padilla – engineering, mixing
- Mario Ramirez – engineering, mixing
- JJ Golden – mastering
- Matthew Jones – layout
References edit
- ^ a b "Osees/Thee Oh Sees: Protean Threat Review | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
- ^ a b c "Osees' 'Protean Threat' Keeps John Dwyer's Hot Streak Impossibly Alive | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
- ^ a b "Osees: Protean Threat | Under the Radar". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (July 28, 2020). "Osees Announce New Album Protean Threat, Share New Song "Dreary Nonsense"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Whittle, Nathan (November 23, 2020). "Osees' John Dwyer Interview: 'You should own your own art.'". Louder Than War. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (March 23, 2020). "Watch Oh Sees Play An Hour Of New Songs In An Empty Club". Stereogum. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Albertson, Jasmine (12 December 2020). "John Dwyer Breaks Down Every Track on Osees' New Album Panther Rotate (KEXP Exclusive)". KEXP.org. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Pears, Bill (November 18, 2020). "Osees announce new Big Sur streaming performance, share 'Voice In The Mirror'". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ "Protean Threat – Osees/Thee Oh Sees | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved Sep 30, 2020.