Oh Wonder began to make a real impact back in September 2014, when they released the first in a series of monthly single releases. For a year thereafter, fans eagerly awaited the first of every month for a new song as the electro-pop duo sought to do things on their own terms. The thought process behind this DIY approach was simple, Josephine Vander Gucht explaining it as, “If you’ve been drip fed someone’s music for a whole year, you’re going to really love them… if an artist dropped an album, you’d probably enjoy it for a few weeks and then move on to something else.”
The reaction was astonishing, and they generated over half a billion streams of their music before they had even played their first gig. Nearly two years after the collection was released as an album, they return with Ultralife. Necessity has ended their anonymity, and this time Vander Gucht and Anthony West adorn the album cover staring out wide-eyed. Can they capture the magic again? On an album of two halves, the answer is yes and no.
Oh Wonder remain understandably proud of their DIY heritage, talking of having to record around bus timetables, and the first sound on the album is that of sirens in New York. ‘Solo’ is an intriguing start, with Vander Gucht and West’s twin vocals singing of escape (“find a space and let go, I need to be solo”) – perhaps a reaction to the sudden fame and all that it brings with it. As the opening track builds to a crescendo of noise, drowning out the vocals, it promises something new.
Following that however, is the title track, which is as poppy and upbeat as anything from their debut. It’s a proper banger, as is ‘Lifetimes’ with an almost-rap from West over a piano groove reminiscent of Elton John’s ‘Bennie and the Jets’. There is a real feeling of Coldplay at their most day-glo to ‘High On Humans’, and will possibly divide audiences for that very reason. It is unbelievably catchy, but also incredibly twee. For me, Oh Wonder are at their most interesting on this album when they bare their teeth. Written in New York at the time of the Presidential elections, ‘All About You’ may not definitively be about Donald Trump (“You’re so full of it and we're so sick of it”) but there is a clear link.
Unfortunately, the band cannot keep the momentum up and with less pop hooks to grab you, there is a definite tailing off on the sadly forgettable second half of the album. By the time ‘Overgrown’ comes along with its chorus melody taken straight from Passenger’s ‘Never Let Her Go’, the album has become a shadow of the first half. And yet… Closing track ‘Waste’ is exceptional. Stripped back to those twin vocals again, with just a pulse beat building slowly to a fascinating ending, we turn full circle from the opening track (“What a waste to stay alone”).
Ultralife is a partial success then, with much more interesting results when Oh Wonder stray from their formula. While my fear is that this album may very well turn out to be one of those that people play for two weeks before moving on, there is enough on the first half to keep them ticking along but a need to keep pushing boundaries next time.
Jamie MacMillan