(Image courtesy of Bandcamp. “Oscar Lindsey is rising to stardom with his captivating new releases.”)
Ronak Lamba
Connector Contributor
Oscar Lindsey has established himself as one of the most intriguing rising singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists in the music industry. Born and raised in Nashville, Lindsey grew up in a musically inclined family. He started making music in high school, but his earliest release on streaming services dates back to 2022. Drawing comparisons to legendary songwriters such as Elliott Smith, Alex G, and Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon, Lindsey proudly wears his influences on his sleeve. On social media and his website, he has explicitly stated that The Beatles are one of his biggest musical inspirations, with “The White Album” being his favorite album of all time. Oscar Lindsey’s work is best characterized by his compelling guitar arrangements and his stream of consciousness lyric writing.
While Oscar Lindsey has just begun to break out, he isn’t new to making songs. His first few albums were recorded and performed by him alone. He released his first album “Look I Caught A Fish!” in 2023. While his first album is imbued with simple, lo-fi acoustic arrangements, it certainly has its highlights; notably “Holiday,” a breakup song characterized by its catchy, flowy electric guitar leads.
His follow-up project, “Dinosaur,” released near the end of that same year, featured noticeably improved songwriting and recording quality, headlined by the gorgeous “Head On A Swivel,” a passionate love song supported by pretty acoustic guitar melodies. While the project follows a similar trajectory to his first, the overall quality certainly went up a notch. On his website, Lindsey described that he made “Dinosaur” in October, a month he finds “very inspiring.”
In 2024, Lindsey delivered his third album “Rocky Mountain Toast,” a warm, cozy, and cohesive acoustic album. This project features his most successful song among his first three albums, “Susan,” a nostalgic, moody track incredibly reminiscent of an early Alex G song. Last year, Lindsey released his most ambitious and successful project yet, “Glitter.” Shifting away from the sparse lo-fi sound of his earlier tape-recorded albums, “Glitter” is a proper, professional-sounding rock album. While this is likely his most consistent project yet, several tracks stand out; “Punch Yourself In The Face” is one of his most commercially successful songs thus far. “Forever’s such a long time,” an experimental folk-rock song, is certainly one of his most intriguing and unique tracks. “Ruby” and “I Wanna Feel” are emotional standouts.
Sonically, it’s Lindsey’s best-sounding full-length release by far, but beyond that, it’s also his most imaginative and original effort to date. In an Instagram Story Q&A, Lindsey revealed that his first three albums were recorded on a tape machine, which makes sense given their lo-fi, DIY character. “Glitter,” however, was recorded on a MacBook Pro using GarageBand. On his website, Lindsey also noted that this was his favorite album he’s made thus far.
A major catalyst to Oscar Lindsey’s recent rise in success has been his standout single, “Metal Through Her Lips.” In 6/8 time, the track is backed by warm strummed acoustic guitar, hopeful piano riffs and rejoicing trumpets. Alongside the bright piano, the gorgeous, flowing fingerpicked guitars might remind a listener of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” by Radiohead. Singing about longing for a love interest, Lindsey delivers a soft baritone vocal performance, evocative of Sun Kil Moon. While including some of instrumentation and production to date, “Metal Through Her Lips” is also one of the most emotionally resonant songs he’s made. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter’s newest album, “Sunshine,” his first under Mom+Pop Records, is set for release on Oct. 16.
