Over the course of three records, Nashville’s Oberon Rose has been consistent in avoiding being pigeonholed by a specific sound.
The band – build on the songwriting team of Tommy Oberon and Rebecca Rose – has cobbled together a specifically unique brand of psychedelic-tinged pop music (think Big Star, Badfinger, Wings and The Posies) while also giving nods to garage rock vets like The Flammin’ Groovies and The Kinks on previous records. Their latest still draws on those influences while also opening the tent flap to let in folk and country inspirations as well. The big difference being that Holographic Blues is their most cohesive record yet, with all those disparate influences blending together nicely. A slew of British Invasion bands can also be heard through the guitars on this album.
Though Rose writes all of the band’s lyrics, she doesn’t play on the album. Oberon does however, playing guitar, singing and producing the record. The band is fleshed out with Glen Metcalfe on drums and Chris Listorti on bass and synth.
There were snatches of a better band that echoed throughout their 2012 debut Wunjo and 2018’s Tell Me About It – both solid albums but a little inconsistent. Holographic Blues proves the band was able to work out any kinks. The opening, driving track “Sinner” is highly addictive with its strong power pop vibe and the band hardly lets up for the next 30 minutes. Part of the band’s appeal is the stellar backing vocal, once commonplace on rock albums, that seem pretty rare nowadays.
The album drags slightly in the middle thanks to the droning “Loser Of The Year” and “Chinese Whisper,” two songs that aren’t necessarily bad but just don’t fit in with the vibe of the rest of the record. The album gets back on track with the psychedelic “Falling Up” and finishes strong.
