In March, Long Island, New York’s Oso Oso (Jade Lilitri) released “Sore Thumb”, one of our favorite albums of the mid-year. The emo mastermind now returns with “De Facto” a troubled love song featuring propulsive drums from Jordan Krimston. Lilitri airs out feelings of guilt (“Violent eyes did it again / Lost my way, path less taken”) and defeat (“This familiar slope, are we headed there? / And if I’m being real, I just don’t care / what happens anymore / I laid my shit out on the floor”), but the song’s defining emotion is the kind of love to which all those headaches pale in comparison. “When you’re not near, I feel nothing at all,” Lilitri punctuates each chorus, each word somehow hookier and more melodic than the last.
He takes a quick solo, then breaks the song down to nothing but Krimston’s racing beat and a lone guitar, singing, as if from a distance, about a dream where he “fell through the TV screen / The change was small, nothing really new / Still reciting lines with everyone but you.” It’s a characteristically irresistible Oso Oso song about the kind of connection that matters most.
“sore thumb” wasn’t supposed to exist as it does. But when Jade Lilitri, the brainchild behind the beloved Long Island emo project Oso Oso, lost his cousin/guitarist/creative partner Tavish Maloney, who had been helping him record new tracks in 2021, he felt compelled to put them out — no changes necessary. It diverges from the band’s power pop to be a bit more subtle and strange, but the hooks still arrive, and do so exuberantly. Ultimately, it rages with Lilitri’s sweet, bro-y motto that Oso Oso’s become known for: that nothing will ever be better for the soul than hanging out with your friends. Kick back, pour one (a gatorade, obviously!) out, and let the inside jokes (and maybe a few tears) roll.
Released on: 2022-10-04
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