The twenties are a tumultuous time. OSTON knows best as she encapsulates the difficulties of finding her path as a new adult on her debut record Isn’t That Sweet?. Toeing the line between sadness and nostalgia, her confessional songwriting serves as a bittersweet reminder of the formative years that lead the way to the rest of one’s life. Switching between acoustic and upbeat sounds, Isn’t That Sweet? delves into the duality of emotion and catharsis.

OSTON began her career as a songwriter for pop artists while working for a recording studio in Chicago. She started releasing music consistently after she moved to LA. Throughout her career, she penned Am I Talking Too Much? (2021), followed by Melancholia (2022) and Saint Rich. (2024). Her debut record is a lesson in resilience, with early collaborators discouraging her voice and wishing to mold her artist identity. Isn’t That Sweet? marks the peak of her musical evolution, with a distinctive voice coming through on each track. 

The opening track “I’m so happy I can’t stop crying” looks in the rear view mirror at toxic relationships that defined a decade and seeing them for what they were. The distortion in the production at the end gives way to knowledge that shakes to the core and rewinds the past. The rollercoaster of finding the person that understands her is a thorough line in the album. She approaches the effects of rejection on self-esteem with “Couldn’t it be me?”, while “True-ish” becomes the acceptance of someone’s lack of commitment. 

“Young & on drugs” and “Sorta, kinda” both repeat this process. A pillar of being in your twenties is the dating scene, which is often relentless and careless when it comes to feelings. Following up with a fast hyperpop atmosphere, “I want it, I want it” unfolds the endless desire to experience everything. “White knuckling” sees guitar strings and an honest vocal interpretation while the songwriting tugs on heartstrings. In similar notes to “True-ish,” it feels like a more mature reckoning with someone’s lack of involvement. 

“I think the drugs are working now” was the last single off the album. It marks a core aspect of the album’s identity, which was mostly written after OSTON took care of her mental health. The track itself came after starting antidepressants. She remarks on the change within her mind as she reflects on a past relationship. “Placebo effect” talks of the cautious hope when starting over with someone new. It’s an upbeat track that makes you want to get up and take all the chances. The hyperpop beats continue on “Pancakes” as OSTON unfurls an alternate ending.

In the end, these experiences leave a mark as she expresses it on “Unstuck.” There is nothing to be changed about the past, but everything to look towards in the future. At the same, she offers consideration for the complexities that overcome the mind particularly when you grow up as a girl on “I used to like that girl.” The record ends in a grandiose atmosphere with “No me without you” closing this chapter. With an aim to live in the moment with every lesson learned, Isn’t That Sweet? extends a comforting hand throughout life’s changes. 

All Too Creative spoke to OSTON about her newest project out on September 25. 

ATC: Congrats on releasing “I think the drugs are working now!” How do you feel? 

OSTON: Good. I hate release night because it’s building up to the song coming out and all the playlists and everything, but once it was out, I could chill and breathe. The response to this song in particular has been crazy, so I feel really excited about it.

ATC: Has it been a long time in making?

OSTON: Yeah. I’m putting out my debut album in September, which is crazy. It’s been a long time coming. With the release of this new song, it’s the last single off of the record, so it just feels monumental in a way. It’s really happening. We’re getting there, I’m excited.

ATC: It’s really exciting that you have your debut album coming out soon. How would you describe it? 

OSTON: It’s a journey. I would say it’s a culmination of the decade of my 20s because I went back in time to my early dating years, when I turned 20. Now, I’m 29 and I’m in a stable, committed relationship with somebody who treats me very well, but it took a a fucking journey to get to that point. It’s a reflection on the love dynamics of dating people and finding somebody who’s a good fit for me, but also learning to love and respect myself throughout that process as well.

A big part of that is getting my mental health in check. Hence “I think the drugs are working now” being the final single launching into the album. I would describe the record as a journey of somebody who does not have their shit together and has no idea what’s going on, then becomes slightly more put together. I still don’t have anything figured out to be honest, but getting there a little more. 

ATC: I feel like your 20s are a time to explore. It’s such a confusing time as well. If you have one area of life that’s working, maybe your love life, then you have your career that’s not working or other stuff.

OSTON: That’s how I feel. I have my relationship and my friendships locked down, but my career… I’m like, “What the fuck am I doing with my life?” Everyone says that your 30s are where everything starts aligning. I’m not excited to turn 30, but maybe a little. I want this shit to make sense.

ATC: On your opening track “I’m so happy I can’t stop crying,” you say: “I see it now for what it was.” Does writing help you process certain situations or emotions, or do you write after you figured it out?

OSTON: That’s a really interesting question. I did both of those things on this record. A lot of what I was talking about in my early 20s, I was able to have some perspective on those things that happened and look back and laugh. But there are some topics that are way more fresh and things that I’m currently going through, such as “I used to like that girl” and “Unstuck.” Those are both songs that I learned a lot about myself through writing. The closing track “No me without you,” I don’t think that’s a song I could have written until this point in my life. It’s both for sure.

ATC: What’s the oldest song on the album?

OSTON: “I used to like that girl.” It was a shoe-gazey, slow pulp vibe. It was called “Tomboy” and it was a totally different song that didn’t end up fitting for anything I was doing at the time. I always came back to it because I thought the lyrics, the concept of it all, was so tied to who I am as a woman. I decided to revisit it for this record. My boyfriend and I, who produced the song, we decided to strip it down and change the overarching theme to fit this project. That’s a song that’s three years old at this point. We wrote it a long time ago. I’m glad we didn’t give up on it.

ATC: You released “True-ish” last year. Did you know from the beginning that it would also be on the album, or was it something that came with the response to it?

OSTON: I was starting to write for the album back when we put that song out. I actually thought the album was going to come out last year, but in true music industry fashion, everything takes so much longer than you think it’s going to. We weren’t going to put “True-ish” out last year, but when I teased it on TikTok, people seemed to respond to it. I was like, “I’m going to put it out and capitalize on this moment instead of holding on to it.” It was really tough to put that song out and then be like, “Damn, I don’t have anything else ready to go, so we’re gonna have to wait for a while.” It felt good to have more of a consistent release schedule on this side of the year and be able to keep going with it. 

ATC: How did you decide on the title of the album “Isn’t That Sweet?” 

OSTON: The record was going to be called “I’m so happy I can’t stop crying.” I was so stuck on that for a long time and I was being really stubborn with it. Somewhere in the writing process I was like, “That’s not the title.” I wanted to keep it in the project so we wrote the first track and kept it as the intro to the project. 

Then I didn’t know what to call the album. I was talking to one of my managers about it. She had listened through and listened to lyrics that stuck out to her and she was like, “What about ‘Isn’t That Sweet?’ from “Couldn’t it be me?”” I just loved that. The second she said that, that was it. It really encapsulated the whole listening experience of looking back at things that happened to you and finding the humor in it. It felt like it encapsulated the project better than the heaviness of “I’m so happy I can’t stop crying.” The record as a whole isn’t this brutally traumatic record compared to other things I’ve put out in the past. There’s more humor to it so it made more sense to pivot.

ATC: Speaking of the first track again, what brings you happiness lately? 

OSTON: I really like to journal. I’ve been getting really into specifically junk journaling, collecting things when I’m out and about and putting them together and not even having to write anything. It’s really therapeutic for me. I love doing that and listening to music. I’m in an era of going out with my friends. I had a not-great relationship with going to a bar together. I like going to little dive bars where you can hear each other talk and playing card games and bonding, that’s making me happy. 

ATC: “Placebo effect” was the single before this one. It feels a lot more hopeful than the other singles. Why was it important for you to release this one as a single?

OSTON: I love that song so much. I agree with you. It’s very hopeful and it’s a side of the record that I didn’t showcase through the other songs. Everything else was so “woe is me.” “Placebo effect” is written about my experience of falling in love with my partner and being really scared to get hurt. Ultimately, it’s being accepted with open arms and being treated wonderfully. It was important to show the listeners that I’m not just a sad, emotional person that never gets her way. Sometimes things work out in love. 

ATC: There’s everything on the album—there’s acoustic songs, there’s upbeat songs. When you showed up to the studio with the album in mind, did you imagine that it would sound like it sounds today? Or did you have a different sonic direction?

OSTON: Honestly, it’s exactly what I was picturing which is crazy. I wanted to go a little bit more acoustic than I ever had. I have been listening to the acoustic era of streaming, the [Gracie Abrams] The Secret of Us record really did a number on me. A lot of people right now are referencing Gracie, but I just really wanted to lean into the acoustic side. At the same time, departing fully from the electronic/alternative side of my production didn’t feel right. It was tricky figuring out how to marry the two styles, but we did the best job that we could. Everything fits together in its own way. 

ATC: It does. It surprised me because there’s such a balance between the two sides that it feels really cohesive. 

OSTON: I was worried because, transparently, we did most of the songs acoustically to start out with. I brought it to my boyfriend and he was like, “All these songs sound the same. There’s no differentiation between them.” I was really in my head about it. Getting to where we are now, I don’t know how we did that, but I’m happy with it and I’m happy it’s done. 

ATC: How would you say that this album helped you grow as an artist? 

OSTON: I feel like a completely different person than I was when I started putting out music. I was 22 when my first song came out. In general, I’ve grown so much getting up to the point of being prepared to write this album, I have yet to see how this album has made me grow because it’s so fresh. I just finished it, it’s not out yet. The writing process was extremely reflective, but I’m really excited to see how I feel once it’s out and how it reaches people. That will inform the growth that comes from the record. Everything sits differently with different people. I’m excited to see how they perceive certain songs that are very specific to me.

ATC: What are you looking forward to with this upcoming year? 

OSTON: Obviously looking forward to the album being out. It’s been such a long time coming. I’ve been wanting to do a debut album for four years at this point and it never felt right. I’m excited to tour. We’re going to be doing some small little release parties around the record. I’m excited to celebrate with the people that I made the record with and a few select people. I really want to do a headline tour in the coming year, but I don’t have any plans for it yet. I’m trying to make that happen because it’d be so fun to tour this record.

ATC: Who would you recommend your music to?

OSTON: I would recommend my music to anyone who’s even remotely interested in indie alt-pop. Someone who is going through their 20s and confused on what the fuck is happening. The majority of people that reach out to me have gone through relationship turmoil, whether it’s friendships or toxic exes or growing pains of trying to find yourself in your 20s. That’s the people that are going to resonate. Probably not any straight men. I feel like the only straight men that listen to my music are forced to by their girlfriends. So the girls and the gays and the gays.