London synthpop group Oh Wonder released their self-titled debut and it’s already gaining some hype, probably partially due to their SoundCloud origins. For the past year, the group had been releasing one song per month in an effort to gain popularity leading to their album release. The calculated approach seems to have paid off. Their music has been featured on various media platforms and has notable ratings on iTunes.
The vocals of musical duo Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West float throughout the album in an indie-electronic haze that enraptures the listener. Vander Gucht and West never once harmonize together in the album, but instead sing the same melody without one solo to be heard. This is a unique effect that compliments the genre, or lack thereof, that they are going for. Each song has a mixture of new and old elements of music that combine to make something refreshing and different.
The song “Lose It” features old-school piano and saxophone, bringing their subtle undercurrent of R&B to the forefront. Their use of unexpected instruments includes shakers carrying out the beat in “Without You” and snaps pulsating in “Landslide” add a welcomed addition to the otherwise full-on presence of an electric sound. “Dazzle” is Oh Wonder’s most tech-heavy song, which lets the band showcase the other end of their genre-bending spectrum.
Looking beyond each song individually, the collective record as a whole succeeds in transporting the listener to a simple, serene, futuristic soundscape that plays on the past. However, the album is not perfect. The record is polished and flows from the first song to last, almost to a fault. Many of the songs sound similar and can blend together for the casual listener. Though there are a few standouts, particularly “Dazzle” and “Lose It,” many of the other songs struggle to differentiate themselves. The duo has definitely found their style, but for their next record they should aim to find a way to make a unified album that features songs that can also stand alone.
