SOIL by Rubber Oh

Sam Grant returns with weirded-out psych project Rubber Oh, announcing new album ‘SOIL’.

Including collaborations from Rozi Plain, Voka Gentle, and Newcastle artists Me Lost Me & Ceitidh Mac, this sophomore record offers a vivid journey through Grant’s otherworldly machinations.

‘SOIL’ picks up where 2021’s debut ‘Strange Craft’ left off, presenting kaleidoscopic melodies floating above dense rhythms. It skirts a line between dark heavy riff and floating harmony. However, where the acclaimed ‘Strange Craft’ was a focussed, at times minimal affair, ‘SOIL’ looks to break out into a vast filmic landscape. It is a record with a new found confidence in what Rubber Oh is, both thematically and sonically.

A major feature of this record is the arrangements Grant has composed throughout for both choir and strings. There is imposed friction; the push and pull between the levity and delicacy of these voices and strings, rubbing up against the grit and distortion of the driving rhythm section - the music is once again built around Grant’s fuzzed-out, hard-panned basses. The unusual marriage of instrumentation here though creates an intriguing sonic space that feels both familiar and new at the same time.

Speaking about the underlying theme of ‘SOIL’, Grant said “This is a record that is about the ground under our feet. Where ‘Strange Craft was ethereal, and focused on journeying, this is a more literal album, more physical. It’s rooted in the earth that we try to control, and the earth that is ultimately mother to us. It is about our relationship with this environment that become more pertinent with every passing day, and how that relationship is symbiotically shaped, for better or worse.”

The album will be released 20th September 2024 on the Pigs x7 collective imprint, Mr Medicine Records

Rubber Oh is the weirded-out psych project of Newcastle producer Sam Grant