Oni has been making waves in the music scene ever since being formed by Jake Oni back in 2014. Between collaborating with the likes of Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, Iggy Pop, Sueco, Howard Jones, Lo, & many others, Oni has been pumping out some of the most captivating and energetic metal songs of recent years. The most recent release, "Control", is no different. Accompanied by an anime music video, the song has all the makings of becoming a contender for song of the year.
"Control" has easily been on repeat at my home since its release and can you blame me? Between the haunting vocals, masterfully done build-ups and riffs, and drumming that leaves you shaken to your core, the song has it all. One of the most incredible things about the song has got to be the ability for this to easily be a radio hit without being intended. It sounds like a weird thing to say, but I doubt that Oni wrote the song with the backing of "what is trendy." Yet, the fact that this track could spend weeks dancing across radios throughout the world speaks wonders to the masterpiece that "Control" is.
When speaking about the song and music video, Oni has this to say:
This song is definitely some of my best work yet. Josh Gilbert wrote the song with me, and I tracked vocals at my studio in Cayman with Joe McQueen. Control has a different vibe than anything I’ve written before in terms of range of vocals. The song tells a story that’s brought to life in the music video by Ben Watanabe and his team at 555 comic. It was a huge privilege to work with Ben on this project.
Oni is nothing but correct on that statement. The only thing that is just as heartbreakingly beautiful as the song itself is the accompanying music video. Between the color tones, the animation style, and the storyline of the video, it does nothing but take you on an incredible journey for nearly 4 minutes.
If this is the path that Oni is taking on new releases, I doubt it will take any time before they are headlining stadiums around the world.
Be sure to catch Oni live as they head out on tour in support of Crown the Empire alongside Dark Divine & Capstan.
