Guitar guides the way through recent local music drops

OKLAHOMA CITY — Recent music drops from across the Oklahoma have seen six-string standouts covering everything from grinding metal and emo to electro-pop and angular indie-rock.

Even with the worldwide shift toward homemade beats and lo-fi bedroom electro-pop, guitar manufacturers are still claiming record-setting sales around the globe, guaranteeing a long life yet to come for popular music’s most popular instrument.

And in Oklahoma, the electric guitar is still reigning supreme, with a slew of recent single drops all showcasing the full range of possibility and potential that the instrument still has to offer, even as we approach the 100th anniversary of its creation.

From fuzz-drenched intensity to sparkling jangle-pop and bubbling, shimmering leads, these recent releases are riding six strings into the stratosphere.

Animal Body Part – ‘Hush’

The newest project to spring from the mind and fingers of insatiable guitarist Joey Powell, Animal Body Part is aiming for pure, discomfiting intensity on their debut single.

Powell is best known as a foundational riff lord in psych-metal institution Rainbows are Free, but he’s also proven himself a champion of dense, effect-laden guitar textures with shoegazers Mutual Enjoyment and the transcendent, experimental guitar-noise solo project Holy Hills.

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Animal Body Part (photo by Hannah Lirley).

With the new Animal Body Part, all of that gets thrown into a blender as an ominous, abstract intro gives way to a wooly, fuzz-washed, and gloriously dissonant powerchord/off-key bend riff that could’ve triumphantly shambled off any 90s Melvins or Helmet release.

It’s remarkable how unexpectedly catchy and ear-wormy it manages to be without ever comprising the brutality at its heart, especially as the whole song barrels toward its pummeling, bass-blasting, double-kick finale.

“Hush” by Animal Body Part is available now exclusively on Bandcamp at abpokc.bandcamp.com.

Follow Animal Body Part on Instagram at @animalbodypart.

Chelsea Days – ‘Rodeo’

One of OKC’s hottest recent indie-pop outfits, Chelsea Days just dropped a full EP at the end of May led by this wistful, throwback pop bop.

The whole track is washed in a sparkling, dreamy haze of piano pads and breakbeats, giving strong nostalgic hints of everything from 80s new wave to 90s soul.

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Chelsea Days (photo by Josh Boydston)

It’s all fluid and floaty in the most mind-comforting ways, with synth chords and electric piano leads drifting off into the ether until the bridge breaks in with a classic, four-on-the-floor funk-soul stab that lifts up to underscore a big, fuzzy Brit-pop guitar solo.

It’s a fantastic lead-off track for the EP, and might just be a perfect summer single for some long, hot, dreamy nights.

“Rodeo” by Chelsea Days is streaming everywhere now.

Follow Chelsea Days on Instagram at @chelseadays.

Mapping the Sky – ‘Last Bastion’

Another awesome lead single from a bigger release, Norman’s Mapping the Sky actually dropped their full-length album “Here and Not Here” last month alongside a video for this single that digs a little deeper in the track’s themes of self-sabotage and doubt.

Hinging on exactly the kind of angular guitar interplay you’d hear from the best turn-of-the-millennium British indie-rock acts like Stereophonics and Bloc Party, “Last Bastion” is propelled by a rich, unfolding production and singer Jordin Swanson’s confident, powerful voice.

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Jordin Swanson of Mapping the Sky

Vocal layers and watery keys swirl in for some atmospherics and mood-setting in the bridge breakdown, but at its heart, “Last Bastion” remains all about the guitar-rock, and serves as a seriously solid reminder of just how vital and rousing that sound can be.

“Last Bastion” and the album “Here and Not Here” are streaming everywhere now.

Follow Mapping the Sky online at facebook.com/mappingthesky and on Instagram at @mappingthesky.

Groucho – ‘A Minor Complex’

With a decidedly post-grunge, indie attitude and a driving, guitar-focused objective, Tulsa’s Groucho could easily slot into the “Midwest emo” scene – replete with lyrical despondency and heart-on-sleeve ethos – but the vocal delivery and overall darkness better recall late-80s goth-rock.

Either way, the guitar textures stand front and center, with the requisite arpeggio riffs building and building to the breaking point when the track finally erupts into its full-throated, big-chord chorus payoff.

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Dustin Howard of Groucho performing live

Even better, this release comes bundled with the all-instrumental “Sea to Shining Sea,” a pitch-perfectly ominous, persistent post-rock piece patiently layering keys, chords, and big, heavy-hitting drums around a continuous and increasingly intense guitar riff.

Special shout out to bassist Layne Farmen, whose stellar liquid, leading bassline carries “A Minor Complex” through its closing moments with style.

“A Minor Complex” by Groucho is streaming everywhere now.

Follow Groucho on Instagram at @grouchomusicofficial.

The Nghiems – ‘K-Pop Band (Brine Webb Remix)’ – Drops June 27th 

One of the most unyieldingly and seemingly effortlessly catchy groups on the OKC scene are back with this charming, electro-poppified take on their usual straight-up indie rock sound.

The Nghiems might honestly be the state’s very best purveyors of instant-classic, brain-scratching pop vocal melodies that feel immediately like you’ve been singing them your whole life, and “K-Pop Band” serves as yet another perfect example.

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The Nghiems performing at Factory Obscura (photo by Dillon Coast)

This ode to family, fun, and the universally relatable desire to escape overseas to be the million-dollar dance-pop act we all know we can be has been remixed and refreshed by singer/songwriter and Lunar Manor Studios engineer Brine Webb.

The result is a bubbly, relentlessly catchy sing-song romp that gives way to a head-bobbing, big drum/lead guitar indie-rock send off.

Check it out when it drops on June 27th and then prepare to have it stuck in your head for the entirety of July.

K-Pop Band (Brine Webb Remix) drops on streaming services everywhere June 27th.

Follow The Nghiems on Instagram at @thenghiems.


You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.


Author Profile

Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.