Oh Doom! are a London/Herts-based post-rock band blending shoegaze textures, post-hardcore intensity, and emotional song-writing. Formed in 2023, the band is known for their atmospheric soundscapes and cathartic live performances. Their debut EP I Fear This Is The End (2024) introduced their signature mix of sparse melancholy and explosive distortion. With a DIY ethos and deep creative chemistry, Oh Doom! continue to evolve, crafting music that explores vulnerability, memory, and has an emotional dissonance that reaches far beyond their delightful, Comic-Sans-meets-Scooby-Doo logo!
With the aptly named single ‘Distant Ghosts’ out for Halloween, we thought it was about time we found out more about what makes Oh Doom! tick to such an irresistibly slow pulse, so we asked them to pick the three albums that have proved major influences on their music. Jonny and Phil (guitarists and vocalists for the band) share them with us. . .
Sadness – I Want To Be There
This record is partly responsible for my being tapped up to play guitar in Oh Doom! by Phil (chief songwriter and vocals/guitar). I remember sharing it with him on WhatsApp and saying “don’t you hate it when a band makes a record that makes you go ‘aw, not fair, that’s what I wanted to do!’” I guess it was the moment we realised we had musical tastes in common, as he was already a fan as well.
In my first jams with Phil, and later with the band, I really had the sound of this record in my head, especially ‘I Want To Be With You’. It combines lots of elements we love, and that I think are present in Oh Doom!’s approach to making music, even if we don’t exactly sound like Sadness. The overall melancholic feel, the layered guitar textures, blending post rock, shoegaze, even a bit of black metal, with the tremolo guitar picking, and so on.
I really admire what Damián Antón Ojeda does with this project, and how prolific he is. I’ve literally had a Bandcamp notification on my phone saying he’s just released another record while writing this! He also takes a completely DIY approach, from what I can gather, and that’s 100% what we’re about as well. Damián, if you’re reading this and are ever looking for bands to tour with, hello *waves*. . .
Songs: Ohia – Ghost Tropic
It’s fair to say that ghosts are a theme that pops up from time to time with us. Our new single is called ‘Distant Ghosts’, there’s a line in one of the songs on our EP about “whispering ghosts singing sad songs”, and Phil and Shaun (drums/synth/backing vocals) used to be in a screamo band called There Are Ghosts.
Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia had a similar obsession, it seems. Beyond that, though, Phil was listening to these Songs: Ohia releases a lot when writing songs while on parental leave. The band ended up forming around those songs. The atmosphere in tracks like ‘Lightning Risked It All’ or ‘The Body Burned Away’ from Ghost Tropic, and the stripped-back slow-core on The Ghost are definitely part of our sonic palette in our quieter moments, but I’d also say that we come from a similar, bleak and emotional place in terms of lyrical content.
Molina was just a brilliant songwriter, who really put his soul into his music, and it’s difficult not to be influenced by someone who could take you on such a unique emotional journey. That’s what all good art in all mediums should do, in our humble opinion. We aim to do the same.
Deathcrash – People Think My Windows Are Stars
One of my favourite bands from the early 90s is Codeine, and I really think Deathcrash have picked up where they and bands like Arab Strap left off, particularly when listening to a track like ‘Bind’ on this record.
I had tickets to see a reformed Codeine a couple of years back, and didn’t go because I was a bit sick, and had nobody to go with. What’s sadder than going to see your favourite sadcore band, than not going because you have no friends to go with?! Phil and I did go and see Deathcrash at the Black Heart a while ago, and I had a splitting headache so couldn’t properly enjoy that either. And people wonder what we’re so sad about!
Kidding aside, the slow, sad, long tracks on this record are probably one of the more direct influences on our sound. There are others, for sure – David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks soundtrack is why I bought the tremolo pedal used on ‘Distant Ghosts’, for example. It tends to be small details like that that creep into our songs, rather than anything too in your face.
‘Distant Ghosts’ is released on Friday October 31 2025 via Socks On Records and can be streamed, purchased and downloaded here on Bandcamp.
