LISTEN: “Firing Line” by Oswald Slain

From their forthcoming album, Bucky (October 24th), “Firing Line” struts forward with just enough grime to keep it from tipping into sentimentality. There’s a sincerity and emotional weight but it’s delivered through the cracked grin of a band who knows that love and chaos often show up holding hands.

Swagger, heart, and fuzzed-out sincerity collide beautifully as the track leans into its bluesy core with guitars that chug and swell like they’ve been soaking in vintage amps for a week. The percussion clicks and shuffles with precision, while vocal harmonies float in at all the right moments by offering lift without ever softening the grit. One can hear shades of Weezer and Pixies in the DNA, but Oswald Slain never loses their own identity in the influence. They just borrow the right parts and leave the rest behind.

On the song, vocalist Charlie Fitzgerald says,

It’s a Ride or Die, deeply romantic tune about supporting and loving someone during their roughest moments.

That sentiment cuts through the bravado, and what makes “Firing Line” work isn’t its perfection but its messiness beneath the polish. The lyrics aren’t abstract poetry. They’re raw, real, and experienced, and while the production may be DIY, it never feels thrown together. Instead, it carries the charm of a band who understands how to let feelings take the lead without letting the wheels fall off.

“Firing Line” is the kind of song that makes you want to call someone you care about, even if you’re not sure what to say yet. And that’s not nothing.

Oswald Slain have made it clear they’re not just building on buzz but they’re building a body of work that’s honest, brash, and hard to ignore.