“It takes two to break a heart.” – Oh Wonder
This is probably the only break up album in history where both sides of the couple are working on the album. The couple that makes up alt-pop English duo Oh Wonder broke up being the pandemic. They did as you do and wrote an album to figure out how to process it. Then they found their way back to each other.
The music is deeply personal, you can hear the pain and yearning within their voices. I can only imagine how deep this album would hit if you were actually going through a break up.
The duo somehow found a way to word the difficult and truthful parts of relationships that often can’t be put into words.
One area that I’m a big fan of that I don’t think was present in their previous albums in the saxophone. It only adds to the somewhat painful messages that are coming across the lyrics. It pushes the song to a place that would be impossible without it.
The one song where it really hits different is in Don’t let the neighborhood hear, where they’re asking “Am I not good enough for you?” Showing how in relationships a lot of the issues stem from our own insecurities.
The album is in tandem with a 40-minute film that visualizes the heartbreak and confusion.