Alex Cameron - Oxy Music

Alex Cameron’s penchant for unlikely pop material continues on ‘Oxy Music’, where he finds inspiration for satirical yet sympathetic character studies from within the American opioid crisis. Without trading off his signature sense of humour, he tackles tales of drug addiction and disillusionment with a welcome amount of care and as a result it’s perhaps his most sympathetic work to date; his knack for infectious choruses like those on ‘Prescription Refill’ and lead single ‘Sara-Jo’ are complimented by moments of genuine pathos on ‘Dead Eyes’ and ‘K-Hole’. Though if his well-oiled formula of warm guitar leads, slick saxophone runs and glowing ‘80s-style synths hasn’t enamoured you before, then ‘Oxy Music’ won’t do much to change that. Sonic detours are sparse, coming in the form of a Lloyd Vines rap verse on ‘Cancel Culture’ and an unexpectedly playful duet with Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson on the title track. Its steady pace and relatively tame nature (by his standards) means it might not be his most immediately striking release, but it’s still testament to his talent as an astute alt-pop songwriter.