In the eighth song of OneRepublic’s fourth studio album, “Oh My My,” lead singer Ryan Tedder sings, “everybody goes through moments of losing their clarity / at least I’m never boring.” And these lines actually describe the band’s entire new album.
“Oh My My” leads the Colorado pop-rock band in a different direction through the use of EDM beats, pulsing piano and modern effects that tend do more harm than good. Each song is a surprise, enticing listeners through funk-infused opening bass lines and strong, rhythmic beats. They sound fun and different for a minute or two, but the songs ultimately end up as unclear, empty promises. By the time the overwhelming 16-track album finally reaches a stopping point, its finale seems long overdue.
The band attempts to pair diverse instruments with poignant lyrics creates an unsettling and puzzling combination. The opening track, “Let’s Hurt Tonight,” belongs somewhere out of a Disney movie about teenagers finding the strength to love through all their struggles. Tedder essentially yells the entire song, with distracting vocal effects scattered throughout his lyrics. The lyrics are a powerful declaration of love as Tedder screams, “If this love is pain, then darling, let’s hurt tonight.” And yet, the song remains an unconvincing mishmash of sounds struggling to incorporate romantic lyrics. Similarly, the title track “Oh My My,” with a strong, funky bass line rattling every beat, sounds like the background music in a Sephora makeup store.
The two singles, “Kids” and “Wherever I Go,” released earlier this year, are the main examples of the modern, electronic route the band attempts to take in the album. While the songs have been commercially successful, their sounds don’t reflect OneRepublic’s past hits, such as the heartbreaking “Apologize” or uplifting “Feel Again.” Instead, these singles are merely experiments, using heartfelt lyrics of growth as an attempt to somewhat soften the overwhelmingly modern, futuristic and confusing instrumentation. In an article with Vogue, Tedder states that “[Wherever I Go] doesn’t really sound like us. We just wanted to see what we could get away with.” But they don’t get away with much — as opposed to writing a clear, concise pop hit, the band shrouds and disguises instruments and voices with layers of reverb, echo and other falsifying effects.
That’s not to say that the band doesn’t try to incorporate emotional elements of human life in the songs. Underneath all the discombobulation, powerful lyrics hide. These lyrics wait in songs like “Human” and “Better.” In the former, Tedder sings about having a conversation with God, asking about the struggles and fears of being human, to which God replies, “He said how does it feel to be human / If I could for one day I just might do it.” The song also touches on issues of mental health, as Tedder states, “For sure I’ve got some friends / we got complications / most of us are happier with some medication.” These songs, when stripped to their bare lyrics, send relatable messages. However, as beautiful as “Better” may be lyrically, Tedder’s unsettling rapping and edgy chorus makes him sound like a Twenty One Pilots wannabe.
All in all, “Oh My My” is jumbled and confusing, which is to be expected from a band trying to re-vamp their sound. Maybe next time they’ll have it down.
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