South Shields indie outfit The Oldman Sound have released Fair-weather, a three-track EP that brings together bright, jangling guitar pop, bittersweet songwriting and a distinctly offbeat take on the love song. Out now through the band’s own Foxtrot-Foxtrot Recordings, it’s the latest release from a group whose roots run deep into the North East’s alternative music scene.
Drawing on the melodic instincts of The Beatles and The Kinks, the left-field pop of XTC, the warmth of Wilco and the inventive spirit of fellow North East favourites Field Music, The Oldman Sound have a knack for making familiar sounds take unexpected turns. The title track leads the EP, opening with sunlit guitars before gradually slipping into something more reflective. Its accompanying short film, created using AI-assisted, stop-motion-style animation, places the song’s love story in a miniature coastal world, recalling the strange, charming television animations of childhood.
“It’s essentially a love song,” explains Andrew Forster, who began the project with fellow songwriter Andrew Coiley. “Some of the words are deliberately on the nose, but we like leaving room for people to find their own meaning.”
The song itself grew from two separate musical ideas, with Coiley bringing a Beatles-esque opening riff and Forster contributing the chiming part that closes it. The result moves between contrasting moods without losing its melodic pull, its minor-key conclusion turning summer warmth into something closer to autumn melancholy.
Recorded at Birdsong Studios with Adam Forster, who co-produced and mixed the EP, Fair-weather was developed from stripped-back demos, giving the five-piece room to shape the arrangements collectively. The other tracks, Dead Strings and Tame (A Saint’s Life), offer further glimpses of a band unafraid to take the scenic route.
With former Minotaurs members among their ranks and previous shared bills with Field Music, SLUG and Gruff Rhys, The Oldman Sound are now looking towards a full-length album and a return to regular live shows.
Fair-weather is out now on streaming platforms and Bandcamp, with just 50 CDs available. The band play Pop Recs, Sunderland, on Sunday 20 December.
