7/10

Over the years, Oh Sees have been known for two things; a prolific output and consistently changing their name. In just the last few years, the group have been known as Thee Oh Sees and OCS but have now stayed true to their Oh Sees moniker for their last three albums. Although the constant name changes may seem confusing, they are an intension to highlight the various guises that frontman and chief songwriter John Dwyer has adopted throughout his career. But now returning with their 22nd studio album 'Face Stabber', the band seem to be taking on a far more explorative direction than we have heard before.

Since taking on the Oh Sees moniker, the band have focused mainly on a funk-laden side to the psych-rock sound, and while much of that aesthetic remains true on 'Face Stabber', it feels like only part of the story as this new collection sees them venture off into territory that we have never heard from them before. Opening up with the unrelenting seven-minute alt-rock epic that is 'The Daily Heavy', the record's pace is set high from the very beginning, leading this new album down a path of energetic and frenzied compositions that seems to mix their usual style with an ever bolder sense of purpose, creating a wild and imaginative new release in the process.

While Oh Sees have always had this experimental edge to their sound, 'Face Stabber' seems to grab hold of that dangling thread and pull it as far as it will go, delivering an eclectic and almost unstoppable flow that feels like you are falling deeper and deeper into a rogue 70s acid trip. And while it sometimes doesn't know when to stop itself, there is plenty of fascinating and enticing singles on here to keep your mind working at full capacity.