Ooberfuse are back this summer with a slamming new single, “Call My Name”

British alternative pop pair ooberfuse are back this summer with a slamming new single, “Call My Name,” and five ferociously original remixes in an EP that has got critics throughout the underground abuzz this July. “Call My Name” is a vocal-driven electronic ballad with the urbane stylization of a dream pop single, and whether we’re consuming it through the thick lens of bass tones in “The Noise” remix or tuning into its sparkling melodicism in the “Hal St John Radio Edit,” its bold beats have the same affectual impact. There’s a lot of emotion in the nuanced synth notes and passive percussive strut that we encounter here, but for those of us who have heard ooberfuse’s work before, it’s a new layer in a sound that has been blossoming for over five years now.

Let’s start by breaking down the video for “Call My Name.” The video’s soundtrack is the “Paul Kennedy Radio Edit,” and after looking at the rapid fire distribution of its shots, I can understand why they chose this mix over the others. Kennedy’s version of the song has more of a flexible feel to it than the “Patrik Kambo Radio Edit” or St John’s remix does, and it complements the rip-roar current of images here really well. Rather than overwhelming us with artistically conflicting components, as so many of the postmodern pop videos that I’ve seen lately have, “Call My Name” stays on an even-keel trajectory on both fronts, making it a decidedly more well-rounded watch than most its American counterparts.

The vocal track is as light as a feather in all five of the different mixes we hear on the EP (especially the instrumental-focused “The Noise”), but there’s never a situation inCall My Name where it’s overcome by the sonic intensity of the synthesizers that follow its every move in this record. The narrative presented to us in the lyrics is actually quite emotive, more than what I would expect to hear in any electronica-influenced pop single, and were it not expressed in such an angelic, unforced fashion, I don’t know that this piece would be nearly as provocative and memorable as it ultimately is in this current state. Ooberfuse aren’t your typical indie duo, nor is their sound the typical fodder one would find when scanning any insular underground scene.

Stylishly produced and devilishly sexy, fans of electronica, pop, club and alternative music alike really can’t go wrong with Call My Name this summer. 2019 has been giving us some really rousing music from around the world, and in the United Kingdom, ooberfuse are hammering out decadent harmonies like it’s second nature in their latest collection of mixes and molten hot melodies. In comparison to past studio recordings, Call My Name definitely celebrates the hybridity of its conceptualism with pride and a persistent optimism that speaks volumes about where this pair is going next. Their pop music campaign is far from over, and judging from what I’m hearing in this most recent record, we’ve only begun to hear the magic that it can and will yield.

Mindy McCall