Oscar and the Wolf – ‘TASTE’ [Album Review]

Oscar and the Wolf, the musical project of Belgian superstar Max Colombie, has released his new album TASTE, a collection of tracks chronicling the descent from emotional elation to devastation.

Colombie explains, “I used to see myself as a character in scenarios that didn’t really exist. In this chapter, my work is all really autobiographical. I don’t want to become the face of mental illness, but I do want to be a voice of awareness. I wasn’t being honest; for example, I kept quiet about the fact that I was gay for a long time. I wasn’t honest with my audience. People needed to see me as if I’m invincible. People needed to see the luxury. The real boy beneath was not happy with the luxury.

“What makes me happy is love and safety. Up until now, that search was counterbalanced because I tend to be an obstacle to myself. That’s basically what happened. So TASTE has become very much a therapeutic album for me.”

TASTE features a dozen tracks, beginning with the gleaming, swaying, electro-pop-flavoured “Pretty Little Thing,” revealing Colombie’s plush, pitch-blended falsetto that imbues the lyrics with a sense of innocent vulnerability.

Outstanding tracks include “My Rainbows,” a soft R&B tune riding a syncopated, almost hip-hop-like rhythm that accelerates as creamy vocals add dreamy, creamy textures. While “Spill My Liquor” travels on a low-slung, catchy dance rhythm as hints of bitter emotions seep through.

Colombie explains, “‘Spill My Liquor’ is the essence of Oscar and the Wolf to me: being so drunk that you’re sad, and still dancing to forget. It’s dancing with a tear, and dancing to forget and moving to forget.”

Oscar and the Wolf, photo by Marie Wynants

A personal favourite because of its gossamer flow, “Angel Face” (read our song review) flickers and pulsates with tints of heartache, a pain that refuses to be suppressed. The synth-pop surfaces of “Somebody Without U” expose an overwhelming yearning for emotional security and love. There’s a stark, moving, inner emptiness being disclosed.

Like an emotion-laden cusp of transition, “Shell” marks the moment when Colombie looks in the mirror and realizes the depth of the abyss he has fallen into. Like a voice lost in darkness, the vocals bear the noxious reality.

“Oh Boy,” the closing track uncovers the truth, a truth couched in hazy mists of R&B and shimmering textures. Colombie comprehends his liability via sighing, passionate vocals.

Nakedly vulnerable and, at times, hypnotic, TASTE profits from a complex sonic architecture eventuating in spotless clarity. This is a brilliant album.

TASTE Track Listing:

1. Pretty Little Thing
2. My Rainbows
3. Spill My Liquor
4. Hard To Find
5. Obsessed
6. Angel Face
7. High Life
8. Somebody Without U
9. Shell
10. Warrior
11. Taste
12. Oh Boy

Run Time: 42:13
Release Date: October 25, 2024
Record Label: UFORIA and OWTWO under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment Belgium NV/SA