Brooklyn rockers Oberhofer sound as if they distilled the current definition of "indie rock," filled with angular guitar riffs and catchy choruses, and bottled it up. To combat their generic sound, lead singer and namesake Brad Oberhofer engaged in erratic behaviour, such as wearing a dress for the entire set, climbing up a set fixture, and running through the photo pit to hug Osheaga staff. While quirky behaviour from artists is unsurprising and, in some cases, expected, these antics came off as a desperate ploy to be different visually, since the band was treading little new ground sonically.
Many of the songs felt as if the band had run out of lyrics partway through, so they decided to stuff them full of catchy "oh-oh-oh" hooks, ripe for audience sing-along. Both set standouts, "I Could Go" and "Away Frm U," used whistling and xylophones to set themselves apart from the rest of the set, but their formulaic execution asserted the fact that the band weren't particularly original, nor were they accomplishing it at an exemplary level. The other tracks were hooky and catchy, but ultimately unmemorable, and Oberhofer the band frequently came off as secondary to the bizarre yet eye-catching antics of Oberhofer the man.
Many of the songs felt as if the band had run out of lyrics partway through, so they decided to stuff them full of catchy "oh-oh-oh" hooks, ripe for audience sing-along. Both set standouts, "I Could Go" and "Away Frm U," used whistling and xylophones to set themselves apart from the rest of the set, but their formulaic execution asserted the fact that the band weren't particularly original, nor were they accomplishing it at an exemplary level. The other tracks were hooky and catchy, but ultimately unmemorable, and Oberhofer the band frequently came off as secondary to the bizarre yet eye-catching antics of Oberhofer the man.
