There’s something instantly grabbing about that “Club 20”, the first track on Otha‘s debut EP of the same name. What sounds like a random, imperfectly clipped audio snippet doesn’t lend itself to the loop at first, but after a few repetitions it’s a perfect match. The sample eventually gives way to something like a verse that sounds even more deadpan and detached, and even more compelling. This is the trademark sound of Otha.
Othalie Husøy is from Oslo and produces what Loud and Quiet called “club music for the introverted”. It’s hypnotic, off-kilter dance music that feels almost antisocial or hostile, but also magnetic as hell. Even professing infatuation with someone sounds like a bit of a chore, as she claims “when you touch me I feel so effin energized” with zero enthusiasm on “Effin”:
She’s released a handful of singles since 2018, and got some early love from Pitchfork for her first-ever single “One of the Girls“. But it was 2019’s “Tired and Sick” where she seemed to find her groove:
The music blends genres, reminiscent of recent faves Purient and NEW YORK in a few ways — sometimes taking a kitchen-sink production approach, as with the overdriven guitars and 90s alt-rock elements on “You’re the Best”. Through it all Otha maintains the deadpan, cynical, rather-be-somewhere-else vibe. It’s a good bit: she’s got a distinct sound, and her awkward and just-slightly-off balance style is even reflected in the photography choices for her releases.
Fantastic stuff. Can’t wait to hear more.
