Album Review: The Oxys – Casting Pearls Before Swine

David M Rangel / September 17, 2025 / Review

For as trite as much of late 70s to mid 80s popular culture could be, those times were a noteworthy conduit for music. The punk and new wave bands of the era were often early blueprints that inspired later hybrid sounds within the indie rock genre that was to follow, in later decades. 

Casting Pearls Before Swine, the latest full-length record from The Oxys, takes a blaring trip through what sounds more like the seedy gutters of mid-70s New York City, than their hometown of Austin, Texas in 2025. All the best elements of early punk, before it was commodified, are present here. The blistering, buzz-saw guitars led by primal drums offer an unpolished, unapologetic style of sleaze that would be as at home in a drug-fueled bowery as it would, high above a ramp in a skateboard park, circa 1982. 

Vocalist Phil Davis leads this in-your-face dose of thunder with a slightly genderless voice in the higher register, that is seething with conviction. The stories he tells are harsh realities ranging  from addiction, to the mundaneness of complacent society, to the mind of a murdering ice cream man. He pulls no punches and offers no symbolism or flowery metaphors. He is a lyricist who breaks down his subject matter to its raw core, leaving no confusion or ambiguity.

The musical component of this punk-rock retro-record has a dark catchiness throughout, that hooks the listener in, although labeling it “pop punk“ would be highly inaccurate. Traces of 80s sounds including Social Distortion, Naked Raygun and the more raw sides of The Ramones take the listener back to the days when punk was young with an L.A. skate-punk feel, before hard hard-core fully developed and became a distinct sub-genre. The 70s sleaze/trash vibe is due in no small part to Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz, a guitarist who had stints with genre-defining bands that included Dead Boys and Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls. Guitarist Genocide, bassist Michael Harpel and drummer Chris Alaniz are operating on all cylinders as they bang out this familiar, but eclectic sound that is always welcome, when it comes back around.

Tracks like “Idiot Box”, “Long Shadows”, “Demons” and “Toe Tag Lovers ” roll along with the speed and guitar crunch that may crossover to a sound that will likely appeal to fans of punk and perhaps even metal. It’s also interesting to hear how the addition of a single keyboard on tracks such as “Poison Apple” and “Poison In The Heart” can give the record a whole new sound in the way of a classic 60s garage rock band. 

In a world where sludge is beautiful and kitsch is king (think Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses) Casting Pearls Before Swine  wouldn’t be out of place as the soundtrack to that kind of life. There is just enough of a punk element to keep it minimalist and unelaborate. There is just enough power-pop to keep the vibe hook-laden and identifiable. And there are just enough crunchy, chugging guitars for people who like a good old-fashioned bit of timeless rock and roll with their sleaze. All of this adds up to a concoction that is sure to appeal to listeners of many different styles of music.

The Oxys are taking a well-tested musical formula and bringing it back, while leaving their own signature on it. Like fashion, music of this sort, always comes back around, and usually with an additional new twist put upon it. They keep the pace, moving at a catchy, energetic speed while at the same time being lyrically-introspective and thought provoking. The timelessness and classic appeal of its sound should keep it spinning on turntables and blaring from cell phones, for years to come. 

The full album is out this Friday on Cleopatra Records, and you can listen to the latest single here.