Oreglo – The Whirr EP review: a buzzed-up jazz trio who refuse to stay in their lane
A roaring, Foo Fighters-style guitar riff paired with a glitchy voice instructing listeners to “please remain seated” and “fasten your seatbelts” is probably the last thing you’d expect from the opening seconds of Oreglo’s second EP. But as an entry point into the London trio’s bold new phase, it’s spot on — a warning shot for the most combative and thrilling statement yet from the fast-rising jazz collective.
The three-piece — guitarist Linus Barry, drummer Nicco Rocco and tuba player Teigan Hastings — emerged from the same youth music spaces that helped shape a new generation of boundary-pushing British jazz. That sense of curiosity and freedom ran through their brassy debut EP Not Real People, where loose structures and exploratory grooves encouraged listeners to sink into the journey rather than chase obvious climaxes. Even the dance and dub reworks that followed as part of an expanded project leaned into that relaxed, drifting energy.
The Whirr sharpens everything. It’s more urgent, more aggressive, but still just as playful. After the warped, stadium-rock opening of the title track, Oreglo compress an absurd number of ideas into a pulsing five-minute centrepiece. Menacing post-punk rubs shoulders with slick jazz fusion, communal soul chants, sci-fi prog flourishes and a deranged hip-hop breakdown, all stitched together with confidence. It’s a dizzying genre pile-up that somehow never tips into chaos — and it’s only the starting line.
The rest of the EP keeps the momentum high. “Don Gino” rides a funky, piano-led groove that constantly toys with structure before detonating into an unapologetically huge finale. “Speedbump!” initially presents itself as a thick, snarling rock track, only to take a hard left turn after a barked “enough!”. What follows is a crime-scene-style narrative exchange, delivered over screeching guitars, that adds theatrical bite and dark humour to the band’s expanding toolkit.
Elsewhere, “Red Shift” jolts the listener into a different universe entirely, built around rich, cinematic textures that feel widescreen and atmospheric. The closing track, “Bosté”, stretches out over eight minutes as an instrumental voyage, balancing flamboyant musical showmanship with the trio’s tightly wound chemistry. It’s indulgent without being loose, expansive without losing purpose.
Taken as a whole, The Whirr is a swaggering display of creative freedom, but there’s also a new sense of intent driving it forward. Every sharp turn, unexpected influence and stylistic swerve feels deliberate, part of a shared vision rather than scattershot experimentation. Oreglo might be pulling from everywhere at once, but they know exactly where they’re going — and they demand that you come along for the ride.
