If there’s one constant with Oshwa, it’s that Alicia Walter has never been content to stay in one place. The art-pop project started in 2010 as a solo endeavor when Walter, then a student of classical piano, decided to indulge her pop music-loving side and in her words, “hang out with a loop pedal in a North Side Chicago basement.” Later, it became a four-piece indie rock band, leading to a 2013 debut album Chamomile Crush, which combined Walter’s adventurously off-kilter vocal delivery with math-rock inflected arrangements. Now after Oshwa’s excellent second album 2016’s I We You Me, a more focused and accessible album that featured contributions from her band members, Walter has reinvented Oshwa as a solo project and moved to New York City.
“Chicago’s an amazing place, obviously, but I knew that I wanted to make some changes in myself. Moving to New York was kind of the impetus to make all those things happen by just putting myself in a new spot,” Walter explains over the phone. “Sometimes I like to make things really hard on myself in order to kind of figure out what’s most important to me. A particularly crazy way to do that is when you’re like, ‘I’m just going to get on a plane to New York with two suitcases and no major source of income when I get there.’”
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Moving allowed Walter a chance to figure out how Oshwa would evolve as a solo effort. “For a while, the band was the medium. I was stoked to work with the same people and they were my close friends and it was a really good process. But while working on I We You Me, I wanted to start taking a little bit more control and was interested in kind of getting away from a full band sound,” Walter said. Citing David Byrne’s depictions of Talking Heads concerts in his book How Music Works, the move also allowed her to focus on her other interests in choreography and performance: “I just realized that what I was trying to convey musically could be amplified by a physical performance by really bringing in choreography and a much more animated persona.”
The Anneliese Cooper-directed video for the song captures Walter’s confidence and eye for choreography. Boasting a team of dancers, flashlights, mirrors and a sunny Brooklyn day, the clip is just as jubilant as its accompanying track. As Walter explained, “The message of the song too is just as much an anthem to myself as it’s supposed to be to other people. It’s very much saying, ‘Hey don’t give up. You can do this! Keep chasing your dreams!’”
Catch Oshwa on tour:
7/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Creep Records
7/16 – Baltimore, MD – EMP Collective
7/17 – Washington, DC – Bathtub Republic
7/18 – Raleigh, NC – Ruby Deluxe
7/19 – Greenville, SC – The Radio Room
7/20 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR
7/21 – Atlanta, GA – Mammal Gallery
7/22 – New Orleans, LA – The Quarry
7/23 – Houston, TX – Satellite Bar
7/24 – San Antonio – Imagine Books and Records
7/25 – Austin, TX – Barracuda
7/27 – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit
7/28 – Los Angeles, CA – Rec Center
7/29 – Santa Barbara, CA – (B)rat House
7/30 – Oakland, CA – EM Wolfman Books
8/2 – Sacramento, CA – Speak Out! Sacramento
8/4 – Portland, OR – Bunk
8/5 – Olympia, WA – Doodle Pad
8/6 – Seattle, WA – Vera Project
8/8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Beach Haus
8/9 – Denver, CO – Rotopia
8/11 – Kansas City, MO – The Brick
8/12 – St. Louis, MO – The Way Out Club
8/13 – Madison, WI – Mickey’s Tavern
8/14 – Milwaukee, WI – The Turkey Lounge
8/17 – Dekalb, IL – The House Cafe
8/18 – Chicago, IL – Audiotree Live
8/18 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
8/19 – Detroit, MI – Hamtramck Korner Bar
8/20 – Cincinnati, OH – Northside Alley Barn
8/21 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
8/22 – Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s
8/23 – Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
8/25 – Hudson, NY – Half Moon Hudson
8/26 – Florence, MA – 13th Floor Music Lounge w/ Gemma
8/27 – Boston, MA – State Park w/ Gemma
8/28 – Providence, RI – Aurora w/ Gemma
9/1 – Brooklyn, NY – Silent Barn w/ Gemma
