I'm here for you: a "No One Else Can Wear Your Crown" review
I first listened to Oh Wonder in high school. Their music fits snugly in the vein of indie pop that may seem twee to some listeners. However, I resonated with their minimalist production and sparse but emotional lyrics. Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West's vocal harmonies sealed the deal, warm singing that revealed great intimacy. However, I didn't really pay them much mind outside of that trimester of listening, even though a song or two would sneak onto my Spotify shuffle from time to time.
Then "Hallelujah" arrived. A triumphant track defying the non-believers, Vander Gucht and West declare that "there's a crown / Covered in glitter and gold / I'm gonna wear it / Whether you like it or not." Starting as a piano ballad with the two musing on courage coming from the radio, it accelerates with the pulse of percussion and choral-inspired vocal layering. It's a fierce declaration to anyone who's ever doubted someone for what they love, saying they won't be successful or happy with their lives. As long as a person believes in themselves, that's where the magic belongs.
That's the quiet power of Oh Wonder, something that translates onto their shortest but nonetheless powerful new record, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown. These ten songs are self-affirming, delicate, and evocative, packing quite a punch despite everything running for a little over thirty minutes. There were more intricate harmonies, greater pop embellishments, and an attention to detail in the production that complimented the simplistic lyrics. I can't wait to revisit Oh Wonder's discography to see how they've grown. They're only getting better and better as musicians, and this album is proof of that.
The record opens with the encouraging "Dust" before "Happy" spins post-break-up in a different direction. A year after a relationship ends, one partner sees the other with someone new and it "should hurt, somehow it don't." "Never thought I'd be happy / To see you do the things we do / With somebody else / 'Cause now / You're more yourself," Vander Gucht and West sing in the chorus. The song is incredibly mature for something with this angle (my favorite lyric: "I used to wish / You would never find the one / But it's good to see you loved / Let's call it even"), and it's nicely complimented by some trap snares and a sharp violin line. There's also a great moment where West takes over as lead vocalist on the bridge. Everything comes together to showcase someone wishing the best for an ex that may have hurt them but deserves love, just like everyone else.
"Better Now" follows "Happy," with a rather sharp shift in tone. "Twenty-two hours / Pacing the room / Praying for you / Hot cup of coffee." Vander Gucht and West use few but precise details to paint a vivid picture of someone waiting out a tough operation on someone close to them. From the cooling of coffee to bringing flowers that can't be seen, the song is heart-wrenching but hopeful, never doubting that the person beneath hospital bed-covers is "feeling better now." They deserve to. Accenting this optimism is the quiet swell of piano and percussion that builds from a quiet murmur to a declaration by the end. It's really beautiful work.
Graceful keys signal the start of piano ballad "In and Out of Love." A deeply personal track highlighting the relationship between Vander Gucht and West, confessions spill over every surface, lines revealing that a partner is "the match that made [them] strike," "[a] secret appetite / Served upon a golden plate." "If it wasn't for [them]," Vander Gucht and West admit, West's vocals run through a vocoder, "[they]'d always be in and out of love / ...even if [they]'d never seen their face / [They]'d be waiting for [them]," heart bared and soul open. This idea of soulmates is supported by another orchestral build in the second-to-last chorus that suddenly drops away, making the emotional resonance that more poignant. This runs through the following tracks, "How It Goes" tracking the ebb and flow of social anxiety, "Drunk on You" bouncing along as the protagonist reveals that after a night out with someone new, they "got this feeling / After [they] leave, in / The morning, I'll still be drunk on you," and "Nothing But You" calling upon jazz and dance music to create a love story between an astronaut and their partner, stuck on Earth and wishing they were "a pilot on [the] spaceship."
"I Wish I Never Met You" cuts away from starry-eyed love to embrace the traditional break-up song formula "Happy" didn't follow. Following the separation from their partner, the narrator is "overexposed," feeling "blindsided by love" and "like...[they're] not good enough." Caught up in the pain of heartbreak, they wish nothing had come from the relationship, but "it's a little too late" for that, especially since the wounds are still fresh. Even if Vander Gucht declares that "[she]'ll try / Not be bitter," there's still pain there, something that can't be erased. The instrumental pops along in stops and starts of strings and keys, creating great rhythm that bleeds into closing track "Nebraska," present there in murmuring piano and guitar and the kick of a drum. As love lingers despite the distance, despite how many times our narrators have tried "to get [the other] out [their] mind, [they]'re still home." This quiet revelation repeats several more times as the album finishes, leaving behind a sore throat and tears.
Oh Wonder's latest album proves once again why this pop duo is so special. Their subtlety and simplicity draws great emotions out of a listener, and their pushes towards greater self-love and awareness is important during turbulent times such as ours. Thanks to its short length, this is an easy listen, but that doesn't mean it lacks power. No Else Can Wear Your Crown is packed to the brim with it, and it's for the best that you know.