Friendship is the Driving Force of New Label Oof Records’ First Compilation
Orbit of Friends is the full spelling of the acronym Oof Records, the DC and NYC-based DIY record label born from best friends Ava Mirzadegan (Pen Palindrome) and David V. Britton. It’s also a philosophy revolving around community many DIY music scenes prioritize. It’s through this that they center this theme of friendship in their first official release, their now two-month-old Comp #1, featuring tracks sourced from friends, friends of friends, and so on.
Community is at the heart of the 17-song compilation, bringing a depth of diverse sounds and a broad range of human experiences through the kinship of local and widespread musicians. Similar to the basis of how Camp Thirlby was formed — a network of friends to both write and act as a warm hug to readers — Oof holds a similar foundation in “bringing all our friends together in the hopes that their friends will then follow suit,” says founder Ava. Those projects that are conceived from genuine desire to leave a mark seem to be more special, and Comp #1 doesn’t fail to hold this power.
The compilation, released only a few weeks after stay-at-home orders began to flock the country, features new tracks from those smaller artists we love — Adult Mom, Gabby’s World, and Thanks For Coming — mixed in with newer faces like Bluish and Yardley, and even Carmen Canedo, whose upcoming album Know It All will be released through Oof Records next weekend on June 6th. Each track gives off a friendly energy that reminds you of your best friend from high school or a new crush that is strangely resonant of your first love, and we can only blame how these artists are connected — through friendship.
In a current world filled with uncertainties and a pandemic, Comp #1 acts as an escape to familiarity — a contradiction at most, but reassuring to say the least. Via Intercom transports you into a cozy dream through Comp #1’s first track, “Asleep Walking,” and the rest match this entrancing quality — each song lulls you into a familiar world, whether through the ambient sounds of David V. Britton’s “Never Knowing When Is The Last Time” or the resonant lyrics of Thanks For Coming’s “Very Optimistic” (“I didn’t mean to break your heart/I was only trying to make mine stronger or harder to crush”).
Whether because these artists already come from a place of vulnerability or that added layer of DIY-driven friendship allowed them to open up, Comp #1’s contributors don’t stray away from the personal; their experiences make each song unique but the entire tape a cluster of familiar feelings that we all can intimately understand. Ava’s Pen Palindrome sings of the safety of her room — an outlook that fits almost too well in quarantine — in “My Room/You,” and GB Mystical bluntly repeats “we’re all gonna die” in “Little Dolphin” over its falsely sanguine beat. Hearing these sounds during a worldwide crisis can feel bleak, but others provide a sense of much-needed hope. Gabby’s World’s kitschy melody about a crush on the compilation’s third track, “Pet Names,” ensures this optimism, and Adult Mom’s tender love letter to a partner nears the end of the tape on “Ice Skating Rink.”
Through each track, a medley of sounds, lyrics, and themes come together at the intersection of friendship — a power in the DIY music community that will always prevail. Similar to our mission at Camp Thirlby to provide the support one would receive from a close friend or quarantine penpal, the communal feeling that Comp #1 and all of Oof brings might just be exactly what we need right now.
About the Author
Natalie Geisel (she/her) is a senior at The George Washington University studying women’s, gender, and sexuality studies with minors in English and communication. Her love of writing sprouted from starting her fashion blog in high school, and her current written work focuses on topics of LGBTQ+ content, culture, and identity. Launching and managing Camp Thirlby was out of interest in intersecting gender and sexuality into the world of youth and wellness, hoping to add marginalized voices, like her own queer one, to an underrepresented community. When she’s not writing, she spends her spare time at dance rehearsal, attending local indie shows in the DC area, or finding the best cafes that serve oat milk. She’s passionate about inclusive sex education and sustainable fashion and thinks everyone should be, too. You can view all of her written work on her website.
