The Oil Barons Announce New Album “GRANDIOSE” Out September 26
Los Angeles’ own riff-worshipping misfits The Oil Barons are gearing up to release their most daring work yet. Their upcoming full-length, GRANDIOSE, arrives September 26, promising a sprawling Psych Doom Rock adventure that fuses fuzz-drenched heaviness, cinematic scope, and the band’s knack for sonic volatility.
To mark the announcement, the quartet has unleashed a new single and video, “Wizard” a towering track that doubles down on the band’s Stoner Rock lineage. Driven by doom-tuned guitars and layers of distortion thick enough to peel paint, the song offers a stark contrast to their recent single “Gloria,” which leaned into melodic, sentimental territory. Together, the pair of releases showcase the dual extremes GRANDIOSE aims to capture.
“We wanted to really lean into all the juicy, natural frequencies you can wring out of hot tubes,” says guitarist Lou Aquiler. “We introduced longer, less structured jams and instrumental breaks in major keys—something we just haven’t really heard in this genre before. It created an entirely new flavor of heavy and psychedelic that felt untapped and ours for the plundering.”
Recorded almost entirely DIY, GRANDIOSE was as much an endurance test as it was a creative breakthrough. Aquiler recalls the late-night process:
“Matt engineered the hell out of this thing. We live tracked as a band, then overdubbed late at night waiting for other bands on our floor to stop playing so we could capture authentic amp sounds.”
Formed in the San Fernando Valley, The Oil Barons—Aquiler (guitar), Andrew Huber (bass, lead vocals), Jake Hart (drums), and Matt Harting (organ, acoustic guitar)—have spent the last decade building their reputation as a volatile live act, tearing through Southern California stages with unpredictable, high-octane sets.
The band’s pedigree includes their 2019 debut The West is Won, produced by Zach Fisher (Weezer, Bad Religion), which was crowdfunded by fans and featured the breakout single “VITCH” which later landed in primetime on Syfy’s Resident Alien. In 2020, they followed up with the Grease Pop EP, pushing their sound further into genre-bending territory.
With GRANDIOSE, the Oil Barons aren’t just pushing boundaries they’re hoping to torch them. If “Wizard” is any indication, the record promises to be a heady, high-voltage ride that cements the band’s reputation as one of L.A.’s most unrelenting underground rock forces.
Watch the lyric video for “Wizard” on YouTube below:
