Review Summary: Everything old is new again.
I think it's safe to say that - at least EDM-wise - "retro" is essentially the new "new". Ask Daft Punk. Hell, ask Duck Sauce. Now, there's a new group on the scene, and they breathe new life into both retro styles and all of EDM as we know it. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Oliver - a band that, in three words, is funky, diverse, and most of all, fun.
Let's talk "diverse" for a second. First of all, not a single track on this EP is anywhere near what's popular on the EDM charts right now, and that's a good thing. What you do end up with is a pair of electro-funky disco bangers ("MYB" and "Control"), a slice of sultry swagger ("Night Is On My Mind"), and a track that wouldn't be out of place in either Drive or Blade Runner (the title track). Nearly every song here is unlike anything I've ever heard before, and yet still carries a heavy retro feel.
Well, saying that, I come to my one drawback. "Mechanical" actually sounds a lot like the huge wave of 80's-style pop electronic I've been hearing all over the place (think Kavinsky and Power Glove). Though well done, I can't help feeling like I've heard it before.
Aside from that, however, the EP is a favorite on my list. "Night Is On My Mind" makes me want to walk through the fashion district of a city late at night with sunglasses on and a lot of swagger in my step. The synthy disco of "Control" and the monotonous but never boring vocal riff of "MYB", on the other hand, were meant to be danced to.
Overall? I love this EP. At a time where every major EDM song has essentially the same drop (look up the "Epic Mashleg" if you don't get me), Oliver brings a party-ready and genre-defying mix of retro and brand new sounds perfect to get a group dancing.
