Ovlov is an indie rock band from Newtown, Connecticut, formed in 2009 around brothers Steve and Theo Hartlett — the name is Volvo spelled backwards. Their fuzzed-out, shoegaze-leaning records for Exploding in Sound sit alongside Pile and Speedy Ortiz; Am (2013) and Buds (2021) are the starting points. Dig into Ovlov vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Ovlov formed in Newtown, Connecticut in 2009 around brothers Steve and Theo Hartlett (other Hartlett siblings have also rotated through the lineup across multiple decades). The band's name is Volvo spelled backwards. They have been active on Exploding in Sound Records (a Brooklyn-based indie rock label) alongside labelmates Pile, Speedy Ortiz, Krill, and others. Their distinctive blend of indie rock, shoegaze, and lo-fi indie has positioned them as a defining figure in the contemporary Northeast US indie rock scene. The band has been broken up and reformed multiple times across its history.
Ovlov's sound combines indie rock, alternative rock, shoegaze, lo-fi indie, slacker rock, and noise rock with Steve Hartlett's distinctive vocal delivery, dense layered guitar arrangements (use of distortion and reverb), and lyrical content addressing relationships and personal experience drawing on 1990s indie rock and shoegaze traditions.
Exploding in Sound Records pressings of the Ovlov catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions.
Listeners new to Ovlov typically start with Am (2013) or Buds (2021).
