New music from the mighty Oxbow is always a momentous occasion. Last year’s live album with Peter Brötzmann (R.I.P.) notwithstanding, it’s been six years since they’ve released new music, in the form of  The Thin Black Duke. Now they are set to release their new full-length Love’s Holiday on July 21, courtesy of Ipecac Records.

Much like The Thin Black Duke, Love’s Holiday finds Oxbow leaning into more traditional song structures than those found on their early records, although their unique musical identity remains intact. At the forefront of their sound is frontman Eugene Robinson. He is a singular vocalist in the vein of Iggy Pop, Scott Walker, or Nick Cave, not that he sounds like any of them, but he does possess both the same level of uniqueness and charisma. If anything, Oxbow sounds like David Bowie hiring Black Flag as his backing band, but that’s not quite it either. Robinson croons, screams, and whispers his way through the album, walking a line between passionate and theatrical but always remaining mesmerizing.

The opening one-two of “Dead Ahead” and “Icy White & Crystalline” are Oxbow in their most conventional rock ‘n’ roll mode, which isn’t particularly conventional. The first track has guitarist Niko Wenner wrestling out riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dazzling Killmen album. After the opening, though, they nod more towards grunge rock without ever slipping into anything overly typical. “Icy White & Crystalline” is even more straightforward, but Oxbow does it better than most. Instrumentally speaking, they once again split the difference between early Soundgarden and noise rock, heavier than anything you’ll hear on alt-rock radio and twice as impactful.

After that strong beginning, Love’s Holiday revisits the territory of The Thin Black Duke, with slower tempos and seething emotions that boil beneath the surface, only occasionally erupting. “Lovely Murk” might exhibit restraint, but it’s chock full of a caustic sultriness that beguiles the listener into surrender. It feels a bit like the punk cousin of Pulp‘s appropriately titled This Is Hardcore album, full of demure swagger.

Oxbow remains in this mode throughout the rest of the album, displaying their mastery of these song forms. “1000 Hours” revels in the kind of fractured avant-blues they have become known for. Meanwhile, “All Gone” takes an even more minimalist approach. Hypnotic piano combines with Robinson’s vocal to create a beautiful yet menacing atmosphere. Also striking is the backing vocal ensemble, sounding like a gospel choir reimagined by György Ligeti. “The Night the Room Started Burnin” is damn near danceable despite its darkness, while “Million Dollar Weekend” hints at something more complex, Wenner’s guitar lines becoming more fluid and serpentine. He brings to mind the Minutemen (but much darker), but there’s also a turnaround that hints at the Beatles, even if just for a moment.

The album closer, “Gunwale,” might be the most ambitious song on the album. The aforementioned choir joins with a minimalist organ line to provide a foundation for Robinson to spew his vocal brilliance in all its glory. He creates drama and suspends release so effectively, you’re bound to keep listening to the silence after the song ends, hoping for some sort of resolution. It is hard to put into words but all the more reason to listen. 

Oxbow might have moved a bit into sonically mainstream territory on their last couple of records, but it’s less an acquiescence and more a subversion. They’ve always been brilliant, but what they can do with these songs is downright breathtaking. They walk the line between punk, noise rock, jazz, blues and pop as if it is all one big sandbox for them to play in and despite how essential their entire catalog is, Love’s Holiday might be their best album yet. 

—Todd Manning