Of all the bands that attempted to capitalize on the power vacuum in the indie/emo scene that Modern Baseball left behind when they went on the hiatus of no return I’m not sure any did quite as well as Jade Lilitri and Oso Oso. Jade had already been an active musician and part of a couple of bands, most notably State Lines, but making the switch to largely working on his own (primarily on the writing end, as well as handling large chucks to the majority of the production as well) as Oso Oso really helped him take off. Since Real Stories of True People…, a killer debut album, the quality of Oso Oso‘s music has improved and stylistically shifted over time in a way many artists (Mom Jeans and co.) in that wave just flat out didn’t.
The biggest strength of Oso Oso has always been Jade’s writing skill and it’s impressive how that still manages to be true on the more stripped-back life till bones. Jade’s incredible ability to flip a track and toss in a surprise bridge, or post-chorus, or just go with a non-traditional structure that made projects like the yunahon mixtape so great is still here, but it’s definitely utilized a bit less. The quick pivot to the refrain on “stroke” is incredible and one of the best tracks on the album. Love how it keeps coming back towards the end of the track and gets sprinkled into the outro as a little treat. Always one to finish tracks strong.
‘It’s understanding
That you can’t be handed
Something like that feeling
You gave sent me reeling
So I tried to find a way
To keep all that at bay
I’m still coughin up smoke
From that flame you keep stoked’
That bare bones aspect of life till bones is seen throughout, including on the run time. Oso Oso albums have never been incredibly long but life till bones is their shortest album by a good bit. There’s no project over 40-minutes in their discography, but this is the first to clock in under 30, and while I wouldn’t have had an issue with getting more music, I don’t feel cheated by the short run time. There were moments on their last album sore thumb I didn’t enjoy because they kinda ran on a bit too long so if the alternative is a lean album with no fat then that works for me.
My favorite track off the album, “seesaw”, shows just how incredible Jade can get as a writer when he flips the switch. It’s an incredibly heavy moment going deep into some of Jade’s feelings on the death of one of Oso Oso’s few other consistent figures, Jade’s cousin Tavish Maloney. “seesaw” is laced with regret, and the cyclical back and forth of loss and trying to process that someone you loved isn’t around anymore, but the repetition used throughout the track manages to turn it into one of catchier songs I’ve ever heard and it immediately sticks in your brain. The closer “other people’s stories” is incredibly addictive as well and just a breeze to listen to. It goes by so fast that you’ll end up replaying it several times just to keep the vibe going, and the repetition of ‘other people’s stories got me feeling bored’ just gets better each time.
Maloney’s passing prior to sore thumb led to a reworking of their personnel on the production end in addition to the returning Billy Mannino serving as producer. The work from newcomers Eddy Rodriguez and Jordan Krimston doesn’t quite top some of the great moments from earlier Oso Oso albums, but I do think they do a solid job enhancing life till bones and supporting Jade and making improvements from some of sore thumb’s intentionally demo-like feel to a more refined album.
One of the most indie sounding tracks in the bands discography is the wonderful “application”. It sounds a bit like an early 2000s indie track and it’s got one of the more traditional song structures on life till bones but it works so well. Love the call back to “the cool”, one of my favorite Oso Oso tracks. “all of my love” is a short and sweet poppy track with some really fun guitar throughout. Jade is the star of the show but the instrumentals work well too.
Tracks that don’t reinvent the wheel production wise or have Jade pull some magic out of a late track structure change still work extremely well. “that’s what time does” focuses its strength on an incredible hook and pre-chorus with Jade delivering his vocals hurriedly so that the track can never lose any of the momentum it gains once it starts moving. There’s some more incredible writing on “the country club”, its one verse sets up the bridge perfectly as it goes into detail about a messy relationship and some of its ups and downs. The instrumental is one of the best on life till bones as well. “dog without its bark” has some more unpredictable and incredible writing and probably my favorite vocals on the album. Jade’s delivery is excellent, especially on the shift into the chorus and doubly on that killer outro. ‘Shit out of luck straight from the start, tied my leash, can’t get too far.’
Jade is one of the most skilled musicians in the modern emo scene and life till bones does nothing but confirm it. The songwriting is still immaculate, and at this point Jade has to be climbing the power rankings of the genre’s best writers, the production is strong, and there’s not a bad track on here. life till bones doesn’t beat some of the absolute best moments from Oso Oso, it’s not on basking in the glow or the yunahon mixtape’s level but I do like it a bit more than their previous album. Oso Oso still hasn’t missed though and let’s hope they keep the emo bangers coming.
