SINGLE REVIEW: Oliver Nolan - Watching You
Following up 'Celebrity So What', Oliver Nolan returns with 'Watching You', a snarling anti-ode to celebrity culture — and it might be his most direct, unapologetic track yet. Where the previous single questioned the masks fame wears, this one tosses them in the bin. Nolan’s not just disinterested; he’s flat-out fed up. It’s the sound of someone refusing to play along, channelling exasperation into something loud, seering, and surprisingly hooky.
The song thrives on grit. Guitars lead the charge with punchy, abrasive riffs, while thunderous drums lay the groundwork for a rhythm section that stomps more than it swings. Nolan’s unmistakable voice — theatrically tilted, yet totally grounded — commands attention. It’s off-kilter in the way all the best vocalists are, never overreaching, just existing confidently in its own shape. And while there’s plenty of raw punk bite here, it isn’t just a blunt instrument. There are traces of new wave artistry threaded into the tapestry — flashes of flamboyance, sharp melodic turns, moments that feel more arch than anarchic. It’s not trying to fit any box, and that makes it hit harder.
Lyrically, 'Watching You' is a personal purge. Nolan’s had enough of being bombarded with celebrity saturation, and the track makes that fatigue feel electric. There's theatrical flair in the phrasing, but nothing feels performative — it's catharsis through confrontation. And it’s all the more satisfying for how clearly it reflects a real emotional itch being scratched.
Hooky, brash, and strangely charismatic, 'Watching You' isn’t just a punk track with attitude. It’s a middle finger dressed up in art-school smudge — raw and self-aware, with no time for empty spectacle.
