Lachlan P. Rother has proven himself to be a dynamic force in music, most notably as frontman for the group U-Bahn between 2018-2020, but also as guitarist of post-punk outfit GLASNOST, and drummer of High Control Group. Now Rother is focused on his solo project Ohms, which pulls on that same post-punk thread he explored in group work. Characterized by dark, angular elements and a sheen of post-punk gloss.
Ohms’ latest single, “No Chance,” pulls from a collective anxiety around financial instability that lingers in humanity’s collective consciousness. The fears and darkness that haunts the average person in 2025 find their musical realization as “No Chance” perfectly channels that darkness into a dark pop track that sums up the unsettling nature of its subject matter.
New Noise had the opportunity to chat with Rother about Ohms and the latest single “No Chance” to gain some insight into this new project.
You’ve had a number of collaborative projects. What made you want to start a solo project?
Funnily enough, I’ve almost always worked exclusively on solo projects! My first project, U-Bahn, was, in essence, a solo project masquerading as a band, and since then, I have channeled most of my creative energy into Ohms—so the notion of working on other people’s projects is somewhat of a novelty to me. I’ve never been a super proficient instrumentalist, so I often consider the composition and production process as my wheelhouse. Over the past five years, I have composed, arranged, recorded, and produced nearly three records worth of material for Ohms, and am finally in a position where I feel confident enough in my development as an artist to begin drip feeding the fruits of my labour, one drop at a time.
What is your writing process like? Do you start with lyrics or do you start with instrumentals and write from there?
My songwriting process is very erratic, and sparse. Seldom do I ever sit down and say to myself; “I’m going to write a song!”—instead, ideas and concepts tend to fall from the subconscious. I often get ideas when I am between the wake, and sleep. This inbetween space is so interesting to me, because I feel like this is where the most fruitful ideas live. I can’t begin to tell you how many I have lost, however. Once I have a fragment of an idea, I usually begin with either bass guitar, guitar, or keys in order to flesh out the composition, which varies between being a streamlined, (spur) of the moment process, to a more experimental approach, depending on the colour palette of the idea in question. The composition and recording process often go hand-in-hand, as I often here how I want the finished track to sound in my mind, so the production of each song kind of serves as an exercise in reverse-engineering, continuously chipping away at each piece until I feel it has captured what I had envisioned sonically.
Can you tell me a little bit about your latest single, “No Chance,” and what the song is about?
The latest single ‘No Chance’ is a kind of existential, brooding glimpse into wealth disparity in the technological age—having an immediate front row seat to the excesses, greed, and superficiality of elites, meanwhile, grappling with an inability to ‘get ahead’ in an increasingly cut-throat world.
What would you say were your musical influences in writing this song?
Sonically, I think the track draws from a number of sources, as I tend to not be able to stick to just one. There’s certainly a heavy influence from the kind of angular, icey, post-punk of artists like, Suburban Lawns, XTC, or Devo, but with a much more gothic, chaotic, and cacophonous sound, which conjures up shades of John Maus, Cocteau Twins, and early Associates. I’m quite inspired by the melodies of baroque music too, which definitely played a crucial role in shaping the structure of the track’s final third.
What’s next for this project?
Many more releases, music videos, & albums to come—at this stage, I have no plans on bringing the project to a live setting, as the logistics of that drive me mad due to how layered and dense my tracks tend to be…but I certainly wouldn’t write it off, as I do love performing. Perhaps, a US tour could be on the cards in the future, time will tell.
Lachlan P. Rother has proven himself to be a dynamic force in music, most notably as frontman for the group U-Bahn between 2018-2020, but also as guitarist of post-punk outfit GLASNOST, and drummer of High Control Group. Now Rother is focused on his solo project Ohms, which pulls on that same post-punk thread he explored in group work. Characterized by dark, angular elements and a sheen of post-punk gloss.
Ohms’ latest single, “No Chance,” pulls from a collective anxiety around financial instability that lingers in humanity’s collective consciousness. The fears and darkness that haunts the average person in 2025 find their musical realization as “No Chance” perfectly channels that darkness into a dark pop track that sums up the unsettling nature of its subject matter.
New Noise had the opportunity to chat with Rother about Ohms and the latest single “No Chance” to gain some insight into this new project.
You’ve had a number of collaborative projects. What made you want to start a solo project?
Funnily enough, I’ve almost always worked exclusively on solo projects! My first project, U-Bahn, was, in essence, a solo project masquerading as a band, and since then, I have channeled most of my creative energy into Ohms—so the notion of working on other people’s projects is somewhat of a novelty to me. I’ve never been a super proficient instrumentalist, so I often consider the composition and production process as my wheelhouse. Over the past five years, I have composed, arranged, recorded, and produced nearly three records worth of material for Ohms, and am finally in a position where I feel confident enough in my development as an artist to begin drip feeding the fruits of my labour, one drop at a time.
What is your writing process like? Do you start with lyrics or do you start with instrumentals and write from there?
My songwriting process is very erratic, and sparse. Seldom do I ever sit down and say to myself; “I’m going to write a song!”—instead, ideas and concepts tend to fall from the subconscious. I often get ideas when I am between the wake, and sleep. This inbetween space is so interesting to me, because I feel like this is where the most fruitful ideas live. I can’t begin to tell you how many I have lost, however. Once I have a fragment of an idea, I usually begin with either bass guitar, guitar, or keys in order to flesh out the composition, which varies between being a streamlined, (spur) of the moment process, to a more experimental approach, depending on the colour palette of the idea in question. The composition and recording process often go hand-in-hand, as I often here how I want the finished track to sound in my mind, so the production of each song kind of serves as an exercise in reverse-engineering, continuously chipping away at each piece until I feel it has captured what I had envisioned sonically.
Can you tell me a little bit about your latest single, “No Chance,” and what the song is about?
The latest single ‘No Chance’ is a kind of existential, brooding glimpse into wealth disparity in the technological age—having an immediate front row seat to the excesses, greed, and superficiality of elites, meanwhile, grappling with an inability to ‘get ahead’ in an increasingly cut-throat world.
What would you say were your musical influences in writing this song?
Sonically, I think the track draws from a number of sources, as I tend to not be able to stick to just one. There’s certainly a heavy influence from the kind of angular, icey, post-punk of artists like, Suburban Lawns, XTC, or Devo, but with a much more gothic, chaotic, and cacophonous sound, which conjures up shades of John Maus, Cocteau Twins, and early Associates. I’m quite inspired by the melodies of baroque music too, which definitely played a crucial role in shaping the structure of the track’s final third.
What’s next for this project?
Many more releases, music videos, & albums to come—at this stage, I have no plans on bringing the project to a live setting, as the logistics of that drive me mad due to how layered and dense my tracks tend to be…but I certainly wouldn’t write it off, as I do love performing. Perhaps, a US tour could be on the cards in the future, time will tell.
