On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Oswald Slain’s long-awaited debut BUCKY is out now – a raw, nostalgic, eight-track love letter to self-acceptance, recorded in a Bristol bedroom with retro swagger, sleazy grooves and the kind of honest vulnerability that hits like an old friend you didn’t know you’d missed.
BUCKY
Bristol rock duo Oswald Slain have released their debut full-length BUCKY on limited-edition vinyl. Dropping on 24 October 2025 after months of anticipation, the eight-track record has arrived as a raw, heartfelt document of personal reinvention and retro swagger.
Everything about BUCKY screams intimacy. Tracked in the band’s self-built home studio in Bristol, the album was written and recorded at breakneck speed – songs often penned in the morning and captured the same afternoon. Charlie Fitzgerald and Rhii Williams, partners in life and music, handled most of the production themselves alongside Ryan Rogers (Mumble Tide), using a single cheap dynamic mic for vocals and no separation between instruments. The approach was deliberately loose: no obsession with perfection, just honesty, fun and vulnerability.
The results were later polished by mixer John Logan and mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering (the same room that’s housed classics from PJ Harvey, XTC and Big Special), giving the DIY recordings a warm, timeless glow.
From Little Thief to Self-Acceptance
For over a decade Fitzgerald and Williams made music as Little Thief, touring the UK relentlessly and playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Green Man and Kendal Calling while earning early love from Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 1 and RTE. The decision to retire that name and become Oswald Slain was never taken lightly – it marked a clean break and a chance to grow into the artists they needed to be.
BUCKY is the payoff. Across its tight 30-odd minutes the album wrestles with the chaos of youth, the ache of getting older, flamboyant failures and, eventually, self-acceptance. Sleazy rhythms collide with driving drums and nostalgic guitar lines that nod to Neil Young, The Band and the fuzzy rock energy fans already knew from their previous incarnation.
The Title Track That Ties It All Together
The album closes – and takes its name from – the hazy, triumphant “Bucky”. Released as a single ahead of the record, the track is a washed-out 90s anthem of escapism: a deliberate pause from the nonstop noise of modern life, a love letter to worn-out VHS tapes and slower connection. It’s the sound of hitting delete on everything for a few minutes and just being free – the perfect full-stop to an album about surrender, growth and hope.
Early Verdict
Since release, BUCKY has been picking up the same enthusiastic nods that greeted the band’s debut EP KISS ME ON THE MOUTH earlier in 2025 (praise from Asbo Magazine, RTE, KUTX, Sirius XM, Rough Trade’s Counter Culture, Ones To Watch and Apple Music’s New In Rock playlist). Listeners are calling it a love letter to flawed, fabulous humanity wrapped in timeless rock ’n’ roll swagger.
Ten years in the making and recorded in a matter of weeks, BUCKY feels less like a debut and more like a statement: Oswald Slain have arrived – messy, honest and ready to invite everyone else along for the ride.
Find more from Oswald Slain now:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OswaldSlain
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oswaldslain
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/oswald-slain/1771207268
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0DJ6738WS/oswald-slain
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OswaldSlain
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I’ve been waiting for this album! It genuinely does feel like a warm hug and a familiar comfort – fantastic work, Oswald Slain!
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