TPOE 316: Oh Boland

The Point of Everything

Niall Murphy is Oh Boland, from Tuam, Co Galway, and currently based in Dublin. They've released three albums since the band started over 10 years ago - third LP Western Leisure came out May 31. On this episode of the TPOE podcast, Niall talks through all the songs on the album, touring the US, and their journey as a band. Plus going country! Oh Boland launch Western Leisure at Bello Bar, supported by Stupid Son, on Friday, July 5. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oh-boland-stupid-sonwestern-leisure-lp-launchbello-bar-tickets-922903117067 Buy Oh Boland - Western Leisure: https://ohboland.bandcamp.com/album/western-leisure --- Press release: Oh Boland’s sound has been described as having a “rare potency”, one that exists in their live shows and two records, their 2016 debut Spilt Milk which featured in Pitchfork’s “Best Underground Garage Punk Albums” of that year and its equally visceral successor, Cheap Things. Over the course of the Tuam-via-Dublin-based band’s lifespan, Oh Boland has existed in several guises and their forthcoming third record heralds a compelling new phase as the solo project of founding member, Niall Murphy. The self-produced Western Leisure (mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control) signifies an electrifying artistic evolution spurred by Murphy’s unwavering musical curiosity which hears him experiment with wistful Country motifs alongside Oh Boland’s synonymous noise-rock tendencies. Written over a handful of years, many of which were spent in solitude, away from familiar recording practices and live performances, the making of this record presented Murphy with opportunities to wholeheartedly engage in musical and personal exploration. Following a shift in Oh Boland’s line-up in 2018 and a period of touring, Murphy worked alone to create demos that would eventually grow into these ten simultaneously invigorating and introspective compositions. Drawing from a number of influences such as Robert Wyatt’s 1974 LP Rock Bottom, Arthur Russell, and Pavement’s sprawling and ambitious Wowee Zowee, Murphy describes how Western Leisure was shaped by a renewed approach and process to songwriting. “I felt unencumbered when I was writing these songs. I suppose, there’s sometimes an insular nature to making music, to have the necessary headspace to write. During that time, I was alone with a lot of records, listening to some different things and found myself naturally drifting outside of the lines a little bit to what I was used to doing.” Produced by Mark Chester Recorded at Start Together, Belfast, September 2021 Mixed and Mastered by Mikey Young Words and Music by Niall Murphy Niall Murphy- Guitars, Drums, Piano, Organ, Rhodes, Steel Guitar, Vocals Ross Hamer- Bass, Vocals Artwork by Joe Casey Digitised by Aoife Anna Mullan