Praise for O?:
“as expertly constructed a pop album as anything that will be released this year” – Pitchfork
“A singular talent” – The Guardian
“a dreamy tribute to growing up bored in the suburbs and finding adventure in the nether regions of his imagination” – The FADER
“mercurial, genre-shifting” – Stereogum
Today, self-produced American songwriter London O’Connor officially releases the re-mastered version of his debut album, O?, via True Panther Sounds / Rhythmethod. To coincide with the album release, London also shared his self-directed music video for his melancholy ode to the smart phone-obsessed internet generation, ‘Nobody Hangs Out Anymore.’
Upon self-releasing O? on SoundCloud and as a free download, London’s diary-like accounts and immediate pop songs wooed both critics and fans alike. His energetic live show atop his one-of-one light cube impressed on both sides of the pond just months after the initial release of the album. His first chapter ‘OATMEAL,’ the present and relatable ‘Nobody Hangs Out Anymore,’ and the I-hate-everything anthem ‘GUTS‘ were instant streaming favorites that all wound up getting play on BBC Radio 1 and American non comm radio stations. While the epic album closer ‘SURVIVE‘ found a whole new meaning when a room full of music lovers and industry folk in France sang along in sync with him mere days after the tragic events at The Bataclan Theatre.
O? is a post-any-genre narrative told through vivid and visual production he made from the contents of his backpack while sleeping on floors and couches in New York City. It details the suburban world he grew up in and fled from in Southern California years before. The cinematic album also acts as a rallying cry and arrived hand-in-hand with a direct message from London: “If when you hear it, you feel like its talking about where you live, then I want you to leave.”
The original version of the album lingers on the internet along with a tweet of his cellphone number “if you’re from nowhere I’m here until my cell phone explodes 858 232 9290.” The creative direction of London’s body of art and the viscerality of its themes to overcome one’s environment liken the symbol, O?, in the eyes of his fans to one perceived like the emblem for the Rebel Alliance. While London travels and crafts his second album, a remastered version of O? is now available physically and digitally on True Panther Sounds / Rhythmethod.
