Alex Ohm: The Lost Persons Meeting Point – EP review

Alex Ohm

The Lost Persons Meeting Point

(Self-released)

“I’ve got a feeling I’m not alone,” Alex Ohm sings on his new EP. On the strength of his new songs, there’ll be a wave of fans singing back every line.

Alex Ohm knows what we’re going through. As the globe continues to wrestle with an unforgiving pandemic, waves of depression and environmental damage, Ohm observes the wreckage with regret, despair…and hope. Take the chugging, buoyant closer Time Waits (For No One). “Old habits die hard, old friends die young, but the world still turns,” Ohm sings, his emotions charred but his ambitions channelled.

Built around scattered drums, wistful piano and dusty guitars, Time Waits is a message of determination, of spirit, of seizing the day. It’s a beautiful, barnstorming closer that matches anthemic folk with Ohm’s soaring vocals. It’s also the song that perfectly encapsulates the key messages of The Lost Persons Meeting Point.

Slick opener Going Nowhere Fast puts the world to rights – war, violence, the disconnection of modern life – over stirring strings, pounding drums and fragmented guitars. Reminiscent of anthem alchemists Doves and early Arcade Fire, it’s soaring, an uplifting hymn that displays Ohm’s continuing maturity.

If Alex Ohm’s latest EP is bookended by beautiful bombast, the cuts in between stay faithful to his spiky indie rock. Lead single Hours begins with a moody guitar coda straight from Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief days. As it evolves, though, it erupts into a glorious chorus of crunchy chords and Ohm’s smooth croon.

Once more, though, Ohm isn’t afraid to cover the big topics. “I fear that I’m afraid, these walls are closing in,” he despairs during Hours, a song that has raised over £700 for mental health charity MIND.

Breaking Up, with its tribal drums and blustery guitars carries a permanent undercurrent of menace and doubt. Just when you think it’s reached a powerful climax, it breaks down into a lush, piano-led motif and sparkling cymbals, complete with Ohm doing his best Thom Yorke.

In the accompanying press release, Ohm states this record is a great representation of their live sound. Indeed, throughout the EP, the dynamic musicianship and booming instrumentation make you feel you’re finally back in a packed arena. Equally, Breaking Up begins with the bite and fuzz of indie legends The Cribs, before settling into something more soothing.

The Lost Persons Point is a perfect accompaniment to the strange, dark and isolating times we live in, but the sprinkles of positivity and powerful music mean it’s far from depressing. Ohm continues to prosper.

Alex Ohm is on Facebook and Twitter. The Lost Persons Meeting Point is out now.

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All words by Sam Lambeth. Sam is a Birmingham-based journalist and musician. More of his work for Louder Than War is available on his archive. His music can be found on Spotify.

Source: louderthanwar.com