OneRepublic’s latest album Oh My My blends many different styles of music together to create the band’s most diverse track list yet.
Oh My My is OneRepublic’s fourth studio album and boasts an impressive 16-song track list. The album was released Oct. 7, over two years after the release of their album Native. Being able to create and produce 16 songs in that amount of time is a massive accomplishment.
The first song, "Let’s Hurt Tonight,” starts off with a basic acoustic sound, with a quiet but steady percussion beat. The song builds as it progresses, adding more instruments and vocal layers. The song hits its climax at the chorus, where frontman Ryan Tedder reaches his full voice. The method of building the track is a typical OneRepublic style, especially with opening tracks. The most notable OneRepublic song that uses this technique is “Counting Stars,” which was the opening track on their Native album. “Let’s Hurt Tonight” is the perfect song to introduce listeners to Oh My My.
The next song, “Future Looks Good,” takes on a Coldplay-esque style with heavy piano instrumental breaks and catchy vocal hooks. The song is only three and a half minutes long, which is the perfect length for a song of this nature — one that focuses more on the instruments than the lyrics.
The band takes a different turn for the next three songs. The title track, “Oh My My,” starts with a groovy, deep bass beat. OneRepublic paired up with the French duo Cassius to give the song a more electronic feel, which carries over to the next two tracks — “Kids” and •“Dream.” OneRepublic is not known for mixing a lot of electronic components into their songs, but they are starting to incorporate it more frequently.
“Choke,” the sixth song on the track list, strongly contrasts the last three songs. “Choke” keeps it simple in the beginning, honing in on Tedder’s vocals and the piano. When the song hits the chorus, a full choir joins in and brings a gospel-like style to the song. The choir gives “Choke” a chilling quality. Masked behind the upbeat nature of the song are emotional lyrics: “I keep your picture of you on the wall, of you on the wall/And choke on the memories/I'll keep a message of you if you call, of you if you call/Choke, choke, yeah.” The song is about losing someone and the pain that follows, which is something most people can relate to. OneRepublic has a hit on their hands with “Choke.”
OneRepublic teams up with '80s singer Peter Gabriel for “A.I.” — short for artificial intelligence. The track, which is five minutes and 10 seconds long, utilizes techno beats and electronic mixings. The techno-style gives the song a foreign, computer-generated feel, reflecting the ideals behind the meaning of artificial intelligence. The song is a little obscure, but those who enjoy electronic music will appreciate the track.
The next two tunes, “Better” and “Born,” utilize different styles of alternative music techniques. “Better” consists of staccato notes and Tedder spits out fast lyrics. The song blends alternative music and hip-hop, giving it a Twenty One Pilots feel. In the opening lines of “Born,” Tedder’s voice sounds distant and muffled. The song is mostly alternative, but throws in pop elements.
The ninth song on Oh My My, “Fingertips,” starts with an instrument that sounds like a steel guitar. The song is stripped down to bring attention to the lyrical storytelling: “We were running from the waves on the shallows/Trying to keep ourselves alone and out of sight.” Tedder sings mostly in falsetto, giving the vocals a breathier tone. Despite singing in a falsetto for the track, Tedder is still articulate.
“Human” and “Lift Me Up” are very similar in style. They are both upbeat and repetitive. The lyrics are catchy, but it is hard to focus on the lyrics with the number of instruments used throughout the song. It is apparent the band wants listeners to give more attention to the beats.
The third and final collaboration on the album is with singer and producer Santigold on the song “NbHD” — an abbreviation of neighborhood. “NbHD” is a catchy song with strong beats. It’s a song to jump up and down and fist pump to.
They keep the beats alive for the next two songs. “Wherever I Go” and “All These Things” are similar to songs from their previous albums, such as “Love Runs Out” and “Preacher.” The album closes with a happy, feel-good anthem called “Heaven.” The song brings Oh My My full circle by including aspects from the first song of the album, such as similar beats.
OneRepublic transcends genre with Oh My My. The band did not confine themselves to the pop-rock formula they have used on previous albums. Instead, they succeed in transforming their sound to encompass different types of music, which keeps listeners on their toes and anticipating what is coming next.
Rating: 4/5
