STREAM: West Oxking and the One Night Crusade "Threshold EP"
West Oxking and the One Night Crusade released this single on their Soundcloud account early August, and their Threshold EP, a powerhouse trio of songs, was out soon after. The single alone has energy that drives from beginning to end with distorted guitars, a driving drumset, some virtuosic guitar soloing, and a confident delivery of lyrics.
West Oxking writes about a love drying out with time, but he improves upon himself with what remains of a failed relationship. The emotion here is clear, with “I held myself” at the end of the chorus sung repeatedly to the point where it is nearly screamed. As for the instrumental aspects of this track, West Oxking emphasizes the focal point of the song with masterful guitar while exploring other driving forces in the instrumentation.
This is most apparent through the perfectly balanced interchange of verses and guitar riffs. Towards the second half of the track, the solo guitar came through energetically in order to help the track persevere through the last choruses. The moments of sparse instrumentation add a great open-ended mood for the listener. The lyrics and delivery for this track are amazing, with clear character and personality that only becomes more apparent with each chorus that comes around. West Oxking‘s strong and projected singing of the different verses and chorus make the song enjoyable to follow.
Overall the track is straightforward to listen to: the listener receives rock drums, power chords on guitar, and West Oxking's vocal delivery making these elements sound fresh.
Header image courtesy of West Oxking and the One Night Crusade
Header design by Holden Foster