Ultralife Album Review

Release Date: 14th July 2017

Published jointly by Island and Republic Records

After some time out on tour around the world, one of the more underrated duets in modern music has made a full comeback. Oh Wonder’s Ultralife is another great addition to the current alt-pop genre.

Josephine and Anthony first entered the music scene through 2014 and 2015 with a self-titled release that proved incredibly successful despite being made for around £400 (according to their documentary). They took in over 500,000 in sales and a silver certification in the UK market. Adding a drummer and bassist to the mix, not to mention a full-blown studio in London has allowed them to go deeper with album writing.

Range and variety both work in tandem to make every track hit home, though thematically many of them are very different. Much of Ultralife was written around Gucht and West’s travels on tour and the people they surrounded themselves with; there’s also a ton of focus on the more intimate bonds that tie everyone together but on occasion they dip into a few world issues which throws things off balance a little. “Lifetimes” which is centred around climate change and “All about You”, which lays down an almost confrontational tone to the self-important, stick out from the other more personal themes in the album. Despite this though, the compositions themselves are incredibly inventive. The duo really experiments with their complementing voices and tempos here, with Anthony breaking into a laid-back rap at one point alongside a few background chants; overall, the album feels a lot brisker, the liveliest song being “High on Humans”. Synthesizers fizzle to life through many songs, giving many of them a slick feel to the editing. Two songs; “Bigger than Love” and “My Friends” channel the poignancy of Oh Wonder’s first album, resulting in incredibly peaceful numbers. But the album’s namesake: “Ultralife” is easily the best and most uplifting track of the bunch; it absolutely nails those summer vibes with its higher octave piano notes and swaying rhythm. When it comes to how the tracks are arranged; “Solo” and “Waste” open and close the track list seamlessly, gently easing you in and out of the music with their calmer undertones.

Cheerful, zany and upbeat, Ultralife is a brilliant second offering from Oh Wonder which showcases their creativity while stepping beyond the slower, contemplative pace of their first. You get the sense that the duo are really letting their hair down here, which speaks volumes of their charm, creativity and charisma. It’s only weak spot is the way it bounces around thematically as you go through it.

Rating: B (Good)

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