Anti-Villain Dan & Edgar-Paul Bernis - Curses
This EP was, without a doubt, the last straw that broke the camel’s back. By this point, the cracks within otag were impossible to ignore—conflicts between members had grown too large to be swept under the rug. Pinpointing a single cause for the destruction that both preceded and followed the release of this EP is nearly impossible. After Problems, tensions were already running high: Josh was under immense pressure in the countryside, with the looming threat of losing his mansion; Edgar was struggling to keep the label afloat financially through music releases alone in London; and Dan—never officially part of otag—was increasingly at odds with Edgar over the artistic direction of the project. His lyrics clashed thematically with the production, and the otag visual style, carefully cultivated by the crew over the years, felt incompatible with Dan’s vision.
Despite the brewing tensions, the team pushed forward and managed to complete the project, even surpassing Problems in terms of content, production quality, and financial investment. This was also the first otag release to feature not one, but two music videos: Visions, shot in London near Dan’s home, and Devil’s Dance, filmed in the French countryside near Josh’s mansion, complete with his iconic 4x4 making an appearance.
However, it was during the filming of the Devil’s Dance music video that the rest of the otag crew—who had always remained in the background—began to push back. They hadn’t signed up to be runners for a project they didn’t believe in, and their faith in Josh, who had begun mumbling about a curse and showing signs of mental instability, was quickly eroding. The unity that once defined otag unraveled completely. Edgar was left to edit the music video alone, with only a few hours to spare before the planned release. The result? No acclaim, no recognition—just silence.
As the final touches were being put on the project back in London, tragedy struck: the Great Fire consumed Josh and his mansion, leaving behind nothing but charred trees. The shocking loss of Josh, the heart and soul of otag, marked the end of an era. The EP was hastily renamed and rebranded to Curses to reflect the devastation, but it was released without fanfare or promotion.
In the aftermath, the remaining members quietly went their separate ways, each trying to forget the legend of the strange man and his crooked mansion. Edgar, now the de facto leader of otag, returned to his home country. Disillusioned and exhausted, he pulled the plug on otag entirely, choosing to start a new life far from tumultuous cities and the spotlight.
The story should have ended at Curses, for good. But Josh was a clever man. A few weeks before his planned disappearance, he made some of otag’s most loyal members promise to carry on the label’s legacy, even if he were to vanish. That very promise has begun to creep back into the minds of old otag members. And somewhere, a new fire has started.
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