Oral Habit

so razor-sharp and electric that they evoke the raw energy of 60s garage and psych but with a fresh-faced edge. Their fuzzed-out, high-voltage sound is pure adrenaline, and lead vocalist Charlie Hales channels an unstoppable energy straight out of the John Dwyer playbook.” Still Listening Hype List

“Counter Culture” Rough Trade

Centred around brotherly duo Charlie and Felix Hales, Oral Habit - via the rhythmic diligence of classic CAN or the seething riptides of Osees - abide by a simple, yet devastating rock dictum: play it hard, and play it loud.

None more so is this exemplified then on new single ‘Sauerkraut’ - out today (18th March). Co-produced alongside contemporaries School Disco, this 2-minute punk crusade offers a loving ode to volume, to the duo’s core inspirations, and sees Oral Habit barge themselves into the fresh lineage of garage-rock noisemakers turning up amplifiers across the UK - think Christian Music, Hot Face or Martial Arts. 

Offering more on the single, Charlie says: "A trudging riff that never stops, 'Sauerkraut' gives a nod to our love of 'Krautrock' looping a motif for the entire song only to tarnish its honour with a blown out wall of fuzz."

Gigging extensively in Brighton and London across the past 12 months, ‘Sauerkraut’ follows up a pair of debut efforts put out last year on Big Richard Records (Man/Woman/Chainsaw, something in the lake), which garnered early support from BBC Radio 6Music’s Deb Grant, Rough Trade and Still Listening Magazine. With further releases already lined up for the summer, 2025 bubbles with promise: there’s slots lined up at keynote Brighton grassroots festivals Homegrown and The Alternative Escape, as well as a show with lo-fi rock risers C Turtle in May. Charlie also tours across Europe and UK playing guitar for ELLiS·D.