Oppenheimer - Look Up

As much as you’d expect a band named after the man who invented the nuclear bomb to be a dreary affair, Oppenheimer do their level best to convince you that the name should mean something very different. Their particular brand of cheery, two minute synth-pop ditties has never been more evident than in this, the first single for their sophomore album, ‘Take The Whole Midrange And Boost It’.

This song is the definition of major key, every chord and melody carefully crafted to make the airiest, loveliest sound that can be imagined. There’s a lot of the saccharine sweetness of ‘Girl From Mars’-era Ash here (Tim Wheeler actually guested on the previous album) except with guitars acting as part of the rhythm section and the synths controlling the tune. And perhaps that’s what makes this song so enjoyable - guitar driven, this song would be just a run of the mill pop-punk effort, but the synths make this so bloody summery, it’s difficult not to grab a Super Soaker and go wild just listening to the opening bars.

Sure, it’s not a challenging listen, but this is pop at its most sublime and effervescent, something to drive to, to dance to, and its just short enough to leave you yearning for that little bit more. In short, Oppenheimer are making the music world just that little bit happier, and good on them.