Andy ‘Oxbow’ Clucas on “River Pool”, remix culture, and the shift from Band to Group ahead of Fluorescent Love
Oxbow Lake Group signals a fresh chapter rather than a straight return, with Andy ‘Oxbow’ Clucas shifting the project from Band to Group in a way that feels looser and more exploratory. The new double single lays that out early, with “River Pool” leaning into warmth and nostalgia while “For The Rest Of Our Lives” (Jazzhouse Remix) pushes further into groove and experimentation. With the album Fluorescent Love due later in 2026, it feels like a first glimpse of a project following instinct over definition, so we caught up with Andy to talk through it.
You’re kicking things off with two tracks rather than one — what made “River Pool” and “For The Rest Of Our Lives” feel like the right way back in?
We were recording 17 tracks and trying to cut them down to 12 (for an album) and in the process, ‘River pool’ jumped out as a potential summer single. At the same time I was playing around with a House tune/remix, which we all loved (and felt like a summer track too) so thought that’d be a perfect B side. I doubt it’ll be on the album, unless as a bonus track.
To get the band back up running, it’s good to have a few tracks for folk to listen, before gigs etc especially as we’ll take a while to finish the album.
What kind of track is “River Pool” — what are you aiming for with it sonically?
Gawd knows! I just pick the guitar up and see what comes out! Only aim I really had sonically was to try and portrait a feeling of Summer (as best I could) as the lyric was all about childhood summer days on the River with a love interest mixed in there.
Initial reviews describe this track as Latin acid jazzy and such things and they may be right! It def started with a bit of a jazzy feel but most of what we do as musicians creates a fusion of ideas. So I’m not sure how to describe it!
I’ve heard us described by all the obvious reference points, such as orange juice, dexys or the style council, but I personally think we’re more like the clash on Sandinista, experimenting with sounds/styles, but as tourists. At the moment I’m dreaming we’re on holiday in the Caribbean somewhere…
And where does “For The Rest Of Our Lives” sit alongside that — does it bring something different into the mix?
I’ve always loved remixes especially as B sides to singles. In fact I love B sides, where groups could experiment more. And this kinda fitted that ‘role’. Initially it was muted as first single, but I thought it’d confuse folk too much. (“Are they a Balearic house group now!?”). I also thought they went together well; summery, upbeat, groovers …….!?
There’s a real sense of place around the project — how much does that shape the way you write and build these songs?
Yeah, I think that’s a regular theme in my songwriting and maybe everyone’s? I’ve written whole albums about the feelings, memories, environment of a specific place. But in this song it’s reminiscing about that place as a few moments in time and love and wondering ‘what if?’. I also realised that some of those moments, we’re both on the river Nairn and Findhorn and luckily that is the footage I got for the video.
You’ve talked about this being a new version of the “Band” — what feels different in the music now compared to before?
Ive tried a few creative endeavours recently, and believe this album is the most honest to my initial ideas. Plenty of collaboration and shared parts, but less compromise, in that I haven’t dropped tunes or adapted them to suit norms or perceptions of what we think would work best live etc. Ethos is; studio is one place and live is another. Therefore elements of electronics have crept in and all sort of other things.
Otherwise the new Group is a work in progress, notably tracks have more subtle grooves and as we get more confident; more free flowing and improvisational (wig outs, I like to call them!).
With Fluorescent Love coming later, do these tracks point quite closely to what’s ahead, or is there more to come from the album?
It’s fairly eclectic. The album has a lot of groovers on it, yes, but also more story telling, soul tunes maybe a samba too!
When people hear these live later in the year, what are you hoping connects with them most?
Live is about a shared joy, the connection when everyone’s in the groove dancing, sharing stories, getting the craic, but I also hope they appreciate the love we’re sending out to them. If not, stream it online afterwards!
With the double single now out via Village Sunsets Records, Oxbow Lake Group have set out a clear starting point for this new phase. “River Pool” leads the release across all platforms, with “For The Rest Of Our Lives” (Jazzhouse Remix) available on Bandcamp, offering a second angle straight away. Together, they act as the first step towards Fluorescent Love, expected later in 2026, giving listeners something to sit with now while the wider album continues to take shape.
