Released February 7, 2020
6.5 / 10
Favorites
Dust, Better Now, How It Goes
Least favorites
Happy, Nothing But You, I Wish I Never Met You
Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West have never been as free to be themselves in the studio and on stage as they are now. The Oh Wonder duo confirmed they were an item and have been for the past seven years, to the delight of their speculating fans. Unable to hold hands or show affection in front of their audience, their fear of letting the wide public in their relationship has certainly played a role in how they chose to express themselves through music. Unsurprisingly "No One Else Can Wear Your Crown" - which I'll call "Crown" for the sake of brevity - is the biggest PDA they could've put out. After the success of their 2014 debut, touring and their sophomore 2017 album the team took a year off touring and created "Crown" out of their London love nest studio. Unlike "Ultralife", for which they had to spread themselves thin to deal with deadlines and playing live at the same time, they took their time and came up with an album which dares venturing in new directions, while focusing on self-empowerment. Let me unpack how I feel about the newest snapshot of their craft. In "Crown", Oh Wonder are definitely not trying to be anyone else, to sound "cool" or give in to pop's current trends. From the get-go, Dust reminds the listener of their own power: before searching for the perfect match, take the time to become your own best friend. They ask "Don't you think it's kind of funny / That we're spinning around the sun / Just looking for someone?" to synth melodies and different combinations of backing instruments. As the introduction to the album, you will probably smile at the wholeheartedness of lines like "No one else can wear your crown / It's yours, just yours". And when inspired by the urgency of personal situations, their artistry shines brighter. Better Now was written to alleviate Josephine's cousin's angst as they awaited the outcome of their partner's difficult childbirth. Emotion oozes out of the track and the deepest of love cuts through lines like "Don't think I'll make it if I lose you". The track gets the listener rooting for the recovery of the song's recipient as time passes between the first verse ("Twenty-two hours, pacing the room") and the second ("Forty-two hours, the endless bleep"), to the accompanying click of a heart monitor. The composition is very evocative, with a resonating chorus that sounds like it's heard from the subconscious of the recovering patient and a bridge that grows stronger and stronger, morphing into a glorious prayer. The duo's signature candor signs off the track with Josephine's "You deserve to feel better now", closing one of the purest tracks on the album. In And Out Of Love makes the most of their sentimental disposition, a simple sweet serenade to soothing strings. Josephine has endearingly described the track as their "love song to each other, if that isn't too cringe", coincidentally touching on one of the album's principal flaws. While I find it admirable that Oh Wonder chose to stick to their guts and what came naturally to them in the creation of "Crown", I wish they'd made more of an effort to keep the sweet from turning sour. The gush and fuss of the album gets old as the duo repeat themselves over and over, desperately trying to stick despite having been left out to dry for too long. Happy is the biggest miss on "Crown" in my opinion. Josephine explains that she can now be happy about an ex finding love and how it took her some time to get there - and I say Josephine because Anthony's voice merely echoes hers throughout, dissociating him from the song's subtext. The pre-chorus throws the track onto a shaky path to a sickening chorus that spews rainbow vomit like a malfunctioning sprinkler to vivacious violins that sound like they have a mind of their own. The result is a track audibly tuned for the mainstream radio, boasting a bridge The Chainsmokers wish they had written. Near the end of the album, Nothing But You drives the point home, through the garage door and into the garden shed. By then the last thing you want to hear is "Wish it was the two of us in endless flight" or the recurring "Got nothing on my mind but you". It makes you wonder how healthy their relationship is; "Crown" can sound like the co-dependence anthem book when scrutinized. At least Josephine is honest as could be, singing "It's hard to love myself when you're not here" - in one of the only verse of the album on which her voice is not backed by Anthony's. On their third album, Oh Wonder are branching out in new avenues, seemingly avoiding sounding like their old self at great cost. They pile on elements that feel misplaced or unnecessary, ending up with minimalist hybrids that could be made even more minimalist by shaking off the pebbles that weigh the tracks down. It's almost like the duo was aware of this risk when they decided to add stripped acoustic versions of some of thee most cluttered songs on the deluxe version of the album. The bottom line is that "Crown" feels like Oh Wonder experimenting going beyond the beauty of their voices in an attempt to sharpen their sound. The album's first single Hallelujah is undeniably adorable lyric-wise ("Some days I don't think my momma thinks I'm good enough to be a superstar / But one day I will show her I'm a diamond in the rough, I'll be a superstar" is the cutest pair of lines) but unfortunately benevolence doesn't make up for the musical rollercoaster Oh Wonder are willing to put their listeners through. You'll get used to it by the end of the song and perhaps even enjoy it but it'll probably take some time getting used to the daunting transition between the verse and first pre-chorus, after strings fade out and a thumping beat snarls angrily to hurry things along. The track does get better with a couple listens if you're willing to go for it. Drunk On You is another inorganic product on love at first sight. Lyrically straightforward, it suffers from a gap between its sonic urgency and the lifeless vocal delivery. It's like the world is spinning as Josephine and Anthony are standing on firm ground, going about their business, unaware the ceiling has become the floor. There is just too much going on around, it feels a bit unfair the listener should be the only one left dizzy while the vocalist duo get through the track unscorched. "Crown" demonstrates that simplicity is key. Jazzy How It Goes delves into depression with astonishing maturity. It's contemplative, with soothing sax to sway to while hearing "But every now and then I'm better than I've ever been / But it don't last that long, I guess". It's still very much an Oh Wonder song and, as such, it can't really end on a sour note ("I'm gonna feel incredible"). Closing track Nebraska is a mixed bag, stumbling with half-baked ideas resulting in awkward lyrics ("And there's so many ways to leave a person / And I wouldn't wanna do 'em - ...what?). It's a bit of a shame, considering it also has some of the more thought-out lyrics on the album packing nuance within deceptively simple lines such as "You're still home" - both suggesting the person is still at home, and the person is still THE home. It's minimalist, uncomplicated and resolves nicely. Had the duo focused more on one cohesive sound "Crown" would've caused more ripples in the music pond instead of falling off the radar shortly after its release.
Favorite lyrics
"We're all made up of each other From dust to dust to dust You were made the same, my brother From dust to dust to dust"
Dust
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