Spottiswoode Made ‘Oh, What a Beautiful World’ Feel Like a Psychedelic Retort to Existential Doom –

The sound of a psychedelic 60s summer resounds through Oh, What a Beautiful World, the latest single by the eccentrically ingenious artist Spottiswoode. Forget about where you fit in the optimism-pessimism binary when you hit play; the quirky retro indie aesthetic of the release possesses a cerebrally witty way of injecting enough whimsy to start a pandemic of joy into spaces where most just see run-of-the-mill mundanity.

As the progressions unfurl like a kaleidoscope of visualised serotonin, vocally, Spottiswoode defies the typical folksy forlornness, even while acknowledging the pain, suffering, and tedium breathing amongst us. If anyone dares to quote Nietzsche to you, Oh, What a Beautiful World, in all its complexly timbred, era-hopping sublimity, is the ultimate retaliation. There is something about the way his gravelly velveteen vocals echo Cohen while refusing to absorb any of his bitter-sweet aura.

Taken from ‘It Wasn’t in the Script’, Spottiswoode’s album which chronicles fatherhood, ageing, family tenderness, rock and roll mischief, and morbid humour, the single carries deep affection without sanding down its irreverence. After seven acclaimed records with Spottiswoode & His Enemies, the IMA winner lets this chapter feel stripped back, personal, and alive with strange domestic magic.

Oh, What a Beautiful World is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast