Oscar Lush

"OSCAR LUSH is up, sporting bluesy, dramatic, folk-cum-rock songs and a low resonant baritone that’s in no way implied by his tall, slender frame or boyish sneakers. We receive songs about 1930s explorers lost in the wild, and the shooting of Michael Brown and the plight of indigenous Australia, among the more usual sentiments of love and loss. It’s a set that feels self-serious, but also justified in its seriousness – these are rich, considered songs delivered with aplomb." - LYNDON BLUE

"Oscar Lush takes the crowd completely by surprise, commanding their attention like a performer far beyond his modest years. Possessing a strong voice and thoughtful lyrics of troubadour stanzas rich with passion, he and his band are a definite highlight, in particular their folk ballad, I Dreamt Of My Brother Dying." - TheMusic (Rhys Anderson)

"This young man may just be Australia’s best-kept secret. Before he even reached the age of 21, Lush had already independently released his debut record The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round an absolutely jaw-dropping 10-track of dark folk that fearlessly told stories of death and faith, the young troubadour’s vocal delivery scarily close to the late and infinitely great, Johnny Cash." - ToneDeaf (Joe Harris)

"Oscar Lush starts the night off as part of a three-piece who begin with a subdued sound and an even more subdued audience. His voice is undeniably mesmerising and pitch perfect throughout the performance with his songs being both lyrically engaging and mature. Lush sounds rather a lot like Bob Dylan and looks rather a lot like Christian Bale, which is definitely something the crowd got on board with – cold showers all round. The use of the harmonica blended perfectly with Lush's alternative folk rock sound that when coupled with his powerful voice led to the band being faced with a very misty eyed wall of people." - Beat (ROSEMARY ANSTEAD)

"20-year-old folk musician Oscar Lush proves that not everyone has to be a bedroom producer to be big in 2013. This year Lush released his mesmerising debut album The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round, which invoked a kind of deep and complex poetry beyond his years. It doesn’t set out to be a revolutionary folk-revival, but rather, it’s just a representation of how lush and fulfilling the genre can be when expertly handled. Plus, he’s earned the celebrity tick of approval from Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. What more do you need to know?" - Tonedeaf (DYLAN MCCARTHY)

"Ever since Mumford & Sons and co were singled out as members of the media titled ‘Nu-folk’ scene, the singer-songwriter folk music genre has been given a bad name.

In a time when dance music and dubstep had increasing popularity in both the alternative and popular music scenes, the worldwide success of Mumford & Sons saw the genre seem boring and cheapened by many. They’re right too. In comparison to rock or dance music, folk is pretty boring. But the banjo bashing of the British four-piece is far from representative of quality music.

In this sense it’s refreshing to hear local youngster Oscar Lush strumming his guitar in the most unremarkable of fashions. That may sound like a criticism, but the genre he’s participating in has always been of the traditional kind. That is, the music is largely derivative, but intentionally so.

The focus, as it should be here, is directed at the storytelling. While the harmonica, strings and other such instruments supplement his oral poignancy with beauty, Lush’s strength is all in his words. Just like the sonic textures, his writing has more than a touch in common with Bob Dylan, while Lush’s deep yet not quite baritone vocals bring Johnny Cash to mind.

“My mind is just as unfaithful as my god” expresses the singer on his debut album, The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round. Bringing a mixture of fact and fiction into his tales with statements like this it’s hard not to take everything as gospel. Such is his ability to weave songs of relatability with the acoustic nature of the album – only enhancing this sentiment.

Lush’s debut album is consistent in its mesmerism and quality. A stunning result when you consider the musician is barely 20 years old. Lush likes his contemporaries (and has cited influences) in Laura Marling and Bright Eyes, and whilst his music won’t blow your mind with revolutionary sounds, his songs will strike a chord and last far longer than any music trend ever will.

Listen to The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round below and let it grow on you. While you’re at it buy a copy and support young talent." - The Rouge (Corey Tonkin)

"The 10 track independent release is drastically reminiscent of the late and great Johnny Cash’s deep baritone greeted by Dylan’s wailing harmonica rolled into a delivery ultimately intense as Jeff Buckley.

Opening track I Dreamt Of My Brother Dying sets the stone-cold pace for the record, tear dropping harmonics and a blue acoustic guitar greet Lush’s folk telling’s ‘son your brother is sick, its time you come home’. A bone-chilling testament for what The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round has in store.

This record emits a matter of utmost professionalism and experience, it’s almost impossible to fathom that this is Lush’s debut full-length release.

The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round is out 20th September 2013 through Oscar Lush." - Tonedeaf (ESTHER SEMO)

"I met this kid a few years back at just 17-years-old when he won our collaboration with Fire Ant Studios, the ‘Spit Fire Emerging Music Award’, which saw him take home the prize of a free recording package. After setting him up with his first live gig alongside Iluka at Hibernian House, and giving him a bit of print exposure, we left him to do some wayfinding on his own.

Whenever I’ve had the chance to speak with Oscar since, our conversations have been kept short. I rarely get an insight into where he’s up to on his path to doing the rounds on the summer festival circuit and supporting sideshows (my trajectory, not his). But he doesn’t need to do much talking, about his progression as a musician or his plans to ‘make it big’, because ‘The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round’ does that for him.

The record opens into a Lush milieu of finger-thumping nylon guitar and harmonica, carried by Oscar’s unique baritone vox. However the musicality, despite all its fullness, seems to ride shotgun on this album. It’s not just the stark human insight and rich imagery of his lyrics, a depth that most creative types probably only know at their lowest of lows, but the authenticity and phrasing that really drives it all home.


The opening track “I Dreamt Of My Brother Dying” is, for the few people who may know Oscar’s style, typical of his previous releases. There’s plenty of brooding, dampness and melancholy for old fans and old hearts alike – “For blood is thicker than any water that I’ve seen/But a river of my blood couldn’t save a dying dream/And if you have to leave to somewhere I cannot go/I’ll be waiting by your grave til I join you in the snow.”

The wordsmithing continues on tracks like “On a Train Down By The Sea”, “I Shall Not Change Come Dawn” and “The Hour’s Getting Late”, each opened up by rich alternative chords and guitar strumming that resonates therapeutically. Yet it’s in songs like “Started A War” which might be most welcomed by the ears of new listeners. Rolling drums, thick electric guitar and lashings of harmonica sustain the track allowing Lush’s lyrics to once again take centre stage. The song is undoubtedly radio-ready and road trip worthy – “From shades of blue to black/And I wake on a cold autumn day to turn and find a dagger buried in my back.” There are also impressive swells and builds on tracks “An Uncertain Man” and “A Song For The Lost” – it’s just difficult to give all ten tracks a mention when each stands so strongly on its own.

I’m sure that no amount of quoting can do ‘The World Is Round So I’ll Go Round’ any justice – you’ll just have to listen to it for yourself when it’s released sometime within the next three weeks. It’s music that will suit those who enjoy the crippling sadness of The National, the simplicity of early Dylan, and the rhythm and appeal of acts such as The Lumineers." - The Spit Press (Tym Yee)

"Sydneysider Oscar Lush opens the evening with a small guitar, large beard, tight jeans and an expression that instantly reminds you the Comedy Festival is over. Musically however, Lush is a far from simplistic categorisation. Openers Started A War and Vanishing Point immediately set him apart as a singer-songwriter, with his resonant and expressive voice, evocative lyrics and deft guitar playing. Channeling Phil Ochs and Jackson C Frank, but probably a bigger fan of The National, Lush is a revelation who seems excitingly out of place in 2013. Songs jerk along with slashing strums and a voice made for filling big old rooms and fire-lit shacks. I Dreamed Of My Brother Dying, a song he apparently finished today, is breathtaking in its lyrical acuity, marking him as a major discovery." - TheMusic (Andy Hazel)