About Ox
In the yet-to-be-written almanac of Canadian indie alt-country history, Vancouver’s OX would figure as a seminal contributor. Emerging from the smoky confines of DOA’s Commercial Drive studio in 2003- ‘Dust Bowl Revival’ hit the college charts and reached #1- the first totally independent record to manage the feat. From there, through multiple albums and countless tours, Ox fuse weary with vicious, punk with hillbilly- farmer in the city with the electro-magnetic aura of tape hiss and amp crackle.
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Since 2012's 'Tuco' album, Ox's Mark Browning shifted his creative energies to start a family and focus on his community. Settling in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario, the veteran songwriter created multiple businesses within his neighbourhood including a record store, recording studio, coffee bar, and vegan taco lounge (named after OX’s last album, Tuco).
Gradually, the pull of music brought him back to his own studio to transform a cache of new songs into OX's sixth album, Ktel. Inspired by the joys of his newfound communal experiences, while reflecting on the burnout he experienced as a nomadic touring musician, his voice has the wizened sound of an indie-rock road dog who’s seen it all. With a cracked croon setting the stage for sprawling 70s styled country-rock jams, Ktel’s melancholy musings sparkle with a cinematic quality as reminiscent of T.Rex & the Eagles as they are of Car Seat Headrest.
“This collection of songs evokes a time that has gone by and the album is lush with themes of nostalgia and the open road. Tender songs and tracks that motor forward- beautifully rendered pop-country and nothing short of a pleasurable listen.”
Randi Beers, EXCLAIM!
"Hauntingly hushed songs of desperation and hard times spiked with references to Trans Ams, Camaros, 8-tracks, skateboards and banana-seat bicycles... there's a cinematic quality to Dust Bowl Revival."
Mike Usinger, NO DEPRESSION
"With a voice broken, weary and elegant, Vancouver songman Ox (aka mark browning) plys a sensitive but scuffed, delicate but twisted variant on the cracked alt-country thing. On evidence of a forthcoming album, ‘Dust Bowl Revival’, he is a significant talent. The remarkable debut is a collection of sunshine'n'sorrow-soaked songs to swell the heart and chafe the soul."
“Tuco is the type of monumental leap that defines a band’s legacy. Forward thinking, massive in scope and success, focused and poignant; the imagery, big cars, West Coast sun, strip malls, and isolation- with themes of open road and heartache. Subtly and confidently, Tuco changes the landscape of Canadiana.”
HEROHILL
"Highway hymns of torn & frayed confessionals offset with deeply moody production; like Ryan Adams roughing up an early Jackson Browne record, Dust Bowl Revival heralds the emergence of a singular singer-songwriter in OX."
Stuart Berman, EYE MAGAZINE
Ross Fortune, TIME OUT LONDON