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Release Details
Single
Released Jan 16, 2026
Reviews
Ryan Martin -Jammerzine
Oedipus & The Mama’s Boys have today released their new two-part single titled ‘Stretched/Kitchens’. There’s a particular kind of honesty that only shows up when a band isn’t trying to impress you. Stretched/Kitchens lives in that space—unconcerned with hooks as currency, uninterested in comfort, and deeply invested in the idea that a song can still behave like a living thing rather than a product. This is a two-part piece, but it isn’t a gimmick. It’s a fracture. A before and after. A breath held too long and then finally released in the wrong room. ‘Stretched’ arrives first, and it does so cautiously. Not timid—just aware. The instrumentation feels taut, pulled thin but never snapping, as if every note is trying to maintain composure while quietly unraveling. The rhythm section keeps things moving, but there’s a noticeable emotional drag, like walking forward while still looking over your shoulder. Vocally, there’s restraint here—an almost conversational delivery that lets the weight sit between the lines rather than on top of them. This half of the song feels like recognition: the moment when you realize something mattered more than you allowed yourself to admit. There’s gratitude tangled up with regret, and neither wins. The band doesn’t resolve it for you. They just let it breathe. Then ‘Kitchens’ happens, and it doesn’t knock. The shift is immediate and unsettling, not because it’s louder (though it is), but because it’s messier. Where Stretched was internal, Kitchens is confrontational. The structure loosens, the edges fray, and the vocals sound less like reflection and more like confrontation—directed outward and inward at the same time. This is the sound of belief systems collapsing under their own weight. Of heroes disappointing. Of safe spaces turning claustrophobic. Musically, the band leans into tension rather than release. The guitars scrape and jab instead of shimmer. The rhythm stutters, threatens, then surges. Any sense of resolution is deliberately avoided. This isn’t a song that wants to help you feel better—it wants to tell you the truth and walk away. What makes ‘Stretched/Kitchens’ work is the relationship between the two parts. On their own, each would be compelling. Together, they tell a fuller story about disillusionment and awareness—about what happens when reflection isn’t enough, and critique isn’t either. The band understands that growth isn’t linear and that clarity often comes with discomfort rather than peace. There’s an underlying confidence here that doesn’t rely on polish. Oedipus & The Mama’s Boys trust their instincts enough to let moments linger uncomfortably, to let songs end without explanation, and to assume the listener is capable of keeping up. That trust is rare, and it’s refreshing. ‘Stretched/Kitchens’ doesn’t ask for your attention—it assumes it, then challenges you to sit with what follows. It’s a release that rewards patience, repeated listens, and a willingness to feel unsettled. And in a landscape crowded with bands trying to be heard, that quiet refusal to chase approval might be the loudest statement of all.
Ella Dowell - Northern Exposure
‘Stretched/Kitchens‘ by Oedipus and the Mama’s Boys is an intensely beautiful gut-wrencher for those who gaze out of train windows. Driven by a theatrical delicacy, the two-for-one track is smoothly aligned and flows with a strong sense of feeling. The song breathes with its listener. It is a textured and heavily dynamic scene, complete with silky vocals, vulnerable lyrics and melancholy tension. This pensive soundscape is a credit to its musicians. It’s clear to me that this band know what they’re at, nothing is in the wrong place, and I can tell that each layer has been consciously crafted with its own allure.
Freya Weir - Discovery Music Scotland
The seven piece band Oedipus and The Mama’s Boys have hit the ground running with their second single that was released on the 16th of January. The Edinburgh band have made a loud debut with their first single Bleed and now they’re back and exceeding all the already high expectations of listeners: old and new. Their debut single brought an abundance of loud instrumentals, packed with power and intensity. Yet, Stretched/Kitchens brings a slightly different vibe and highlights the band’s versatility and talent. They can bring the energy but they also can tone it down to create balance within their discography. Lyrics are the bones of a song, they give music meaning and allow a connection to be created with the artist. ‘Oedipus and The Mama’s Boys’ created such a unique concept for this song, with members Gemima and Charlie writing two separate songs with no direct correlation and then merging the two to create Stretched/Kitchens. With Stretched appreciating the love they received and took for granted in a time they desperately needed it and Kitchens all about glorifying our muses and giving our all to them just to lose it in turn. On paper the songs shouldn’t pair as well as they do, the concept is amazing and in practice it created a song full of depth with hundreds of meanings. Music, specifically lyrics, are already personal to listeners in some way, we create our own interpretations and take away what we want from songs. By having two songs pieced together it creates another level of subjectivity, there’s more loops and things to analyse, more opportunities to relate and hone in on the connection between listeners and the artist. Whilst lyrics are the bones of a song, the instrumentals and vocals are what bring it to life. The song builds, the haunting vocals filling the listener’s ears with the gentle instrumentals. They complement each other and connect, they’re there to uplift not to overpower. The breaking point in the song is highlighted by the contrasting loud instrumentals, suddenly every element comes together. It’s like a wave of held back emotion comes crashing down, flooding the song. It’s a release of all the held back feelings as we’re let loose from the constraints of trying to keep it together. The correlation between the lyrics and instrumentals is beautiful and pulls us into this world the band are creating in this song, we feel every emotion with them. The song ends on the same soft vocals they started with, it’s the calm after the storm, feeling as though everything that comes up must come down again. Just from this single alone, the band have proved their talent and determination. They clearly have an idea of what they want to create and achieve which is certain to guide them to success.
