Bluff (Album 2021)

Oddplay

Psychedelic Stoner Rock

Sometimes one can feel alienated and at the same time dream about the foreign. But maybe if you are lucky, you can find someone, who shares your visions in this case of sound, that you then create and even reach more people. 

Oddplay is a two-piece like their French counterpart Birds of Nazca (less like their namesake Odd Socks, who made their visit to Murphy’s Law Salzburg years ago). Their origin is Varna in Bulgaria, few hours east of Sofia, which is home of Bare Hands Society. The city is situated directly at the Black Sea, which is connected through rivers and canals with the Caspian, North, Baltic and White Sea.

In their fourth album „Bluff“, Oddplay demonstrate how to combine elements with sure instinct. Already the opening „Decrepit“ is far from weak but a neat riff, making think of legend Toni Iommi. The heaviness is always there, but there is a lot of Progressive as well like in the following „Sunseeker“, bringing up acts like Sólstafir, Second Relation or Tremor Ama.

The most mighty riff might be in „The Path“, a pure Stoner, kind of the definition of it. The driving bass takes everything further, and so in the title track, we even can find an In Flames reference. And the „Moonrock“ not only brings in some big grooving classic Rock patterns, but feels like the hint to Captain Kirk getting to space in real life.

To put this plurality in words, or even pick a favorite, turns out to be difficult, as the musical field is too electric, which Oddplay explore. Taking one to space and back to the deepest ground of the sea. Rolling on like Sonic Taboo and tracking down like Stöner. Explosive nitroglycerin blowing your speakers with adrenaline. Not possible to hide like the devil does on the cover, that is like on the ground of „Lights Out“.