On Oscar's "Open
Up," the singularly named indie pop artist was quivering about being
"stuck." Though the song itself was warm and glinting, the
London-native was in a darkly lit bedroom wondering "what's the use?"
The concept of romance itself seemed miles away, even if he managed to push the
bed sheets aside and chase it all day he might not find it.
Euphoric new single,
"Kitchen Song," still finds Oscar chasing romance but sounding far
less defeatist about it. Over the cordial hum of a surf rock guitar he sets the
scene, "I was talking to you last night and I thought that you were quite
nice." Anyone who has ever struck up a meaningful conversation with a
stranger in public has had the same joy that trickles out of Oscar's voice. We
want to believe that if we overcome our fear of public speaking, we'll be able
to form a genuine connection with someone. Oscar's imbued with that belief, so
much so in the chorus he sings "I know I will find you, maybe now or one
day soon," with a conviction matching "Kitchen Song"'s steadily
clopping drums. He just needs to stop pacing around a crowded mini-kitchen and
go out into the world. The knowledge is there, all that's needed is action.
Oscar's debut EP 146b is now out on Smalltown Supersound imprint Brown Rice. The AllFreshSounds blog will be covering the annual Pitchfork Music Festival all weekend in Chicago, so look for concert reviews and photos on the blog and Twitter account throughout the weekend.
Seeing the cover for "Open Up", London art student Oscar Scheller's self-released effort under the mononym Oscar, you can probably make a few predictions about the track. "Warm" is an adjective that immediately came to my mind. The sort of warmth you feel when you're wrapped up in layers of blankets and a glint of sunlight comes beaming in. Rather than shield your eyes from the light you lazily stare at it, as though looking long enough will solve some cosmic mystery.
Despite its quivering guitar lines and in-the-pocket drum beat, "Open Up" has that same shiftless contemplation. Oscar's voice possesses a beautifully worn quality. When he croons "I don't want to tell the truth, I don't want to lose you," in the opening couplet you get the sense a weary collapse is around the corner. He's a hopeless romantic in a painfully literal sense of the phrase, so downtrodden his pleas lack any kind of pathos. He'll make a bid before wondering "what's the use?" Even in the song's chorus, where a wonky synthesizer shows up and the drumming becomes more urgent, Scheller seems nonplussed. The phrase "you wait" is repeated by Scheller though it's more self-contained than second-person. And then another word enters the scene, one anyone who has spent enough time staring at the four walls in their bedroom knows all too well: "stuck."
You can hear "Open Up" now on Stereogum where it had its premiere this morning. Oscar's debut EP will be out in the Summer via Smalltown Supersound's newly minted Brown Rice imprint.
