Single Review: Dollar For The Man

The latest Single by five-piece Reggae/Dub band Otium is named Dollar For The Man. Otium is a popular Northland band, having originated from Whangarei. There’s no doubt their music has been getting a lot of attention.

Dollar For The Man starts off with some smooth vocals on the intro, followed by the beat and keyboards playing a melody line that’s catchy and unique. There’s some cool sounding vocal effects prior to the verse beginning. Austyn’s voice is strong and his vocal range is amazing. The distorted guitars add a different dimension to the song. There’s little instrumental interludes throughout the song, making it a journey with layers of sounds and bridges. It’s clear that lots of depth and brilliant musicianship has gone into creating this track.

It’s great to hear a lead break from the band, it evens goes up a key and Scott’s lead guitars sound extraordinary. This track is easily an anthem with the mix and mastering being on point. The technical aspects of this tune, alongside the very talented instrumental arrangements reminds me of Fat Freddy’s Drop, except that Austyn has his own sound with his voice sounding similar to Bruno Mars or Matiu Walters from Six60.

If these guys play their cards right they could be the next NZ act to make it big overseas. Dollar For The Man has a dance feel to it and it would be great to hear it played live. You could even sit back and relax and enjoy the song with a few cold beers. Otium have done a fantastic job on this one. The meaning behind Dollar For The Man runs deep, expressing the current state of affairs living within a money hungry world focusing on personal success opposed to helping each other.