The Oxygen is Killing You from The Final Clause of Tacitus is a five track paradoxical exploration of the colourless, odourless, and tasteless thing called oxygen that we all need for life.
The Final Clause of Tacitus have been blending funk, rock, and groove since 2016 and for me, their sound reminiscent of Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, and Body Count and the self-recorded and produced The Oxygen is Killing You takes the finer parts of 90’s hip hop, funk, metal, and seamlessly whisks them into fun, funky tracks with gorgeous bass lines and vocals that are much metal as they are rap.
The band says this on their lyrical inspirations,
It explores the idea that oxygen, the very thing that’s keeping you alive is simultaneously killing you. What you breathe in is what causes you to age, what causes you to slowly decay and eventually die. This can also be applied to some relationships in your life. The one thing you love about someone can be the very thing that is destroying you.
With the title track, “The Oxygen is Killing You”, The Final Clause of Tacitus comes out of the gate fast and furious with a wonderful blend of sci-fi elements with rock and it lays the groundwork for the EP.
The Final Clause of Tacitus is not one to fear the length of a song name and that can be seen in the song, “I Know You Are, You Said You Are, But What Am I?”. The song is the “heaviest” of the five tracks, and yes, I do use quotes around that as it’s the wailing guitars and drums in the song that bring the element of heavy.
With “Everybody Makes Mistakes, I Create Disasters”, vocalist Matt Dunne says,
This song is a self-declaration and acceptance that I mess up sometimes and that I’m far from perfect, but this is me and what you see is what you get.
The band masterfully fuses rock and rap with a brilliant booming bass, guitars that kick you in the teeth, and drums that make your neck ache. The metal vibe of the song pairs so smoothly with the rap elements of the vocals that it feels that The Final Clause of Tacitus have created a genre that is all their own.
The only track that is under five words, “The Sniper” could easily be mistaken as early Red Hot Chili Peppers. From the vocals to the bass to the anthem-esque chorus, “The Sniper” is the stand out track on The Oxygen is Killing You.
The moment the bass starts on “One to Blame”, one is hooked. The song is a blend of the nu metal sounds with a 70’s disco funk bass line that is to die for. While all the tracks showcase The Final Clause of Tacitus’ genre fusing sound, “The Only One to Blame” shows the vocal fusion of the multi-layered sound.
They may believe the oxygen is killing us all, but The Final Clause of Tacitus is breathing fresh musical air with The Oxygen is Killing You.
Listen to The Oxygen is Killing You on Spotify
