Oscar And The Wolf - The Shimmer (LP)

Four years after Infinity, Max Colombie returned as Oscar and the Wolf with The Shimmer, a sleek, late night pop record that leans into his gift for atmosphere. Released in October 2021 on Play It Again Sam, it feels like he took the dreamlike glow that first put him on big stages in Belgium and toned it into something more intimate and textural. The synths hum like soft neon, the drums land with a velvet thud, and his breathy tenor hovers just above the mix, part croon, part confession.

If you followed the rollout, you probably met the album through “James” and “Oliver,” which set the tone with fluid R&B phrasing and gauzy electronics. “James” moves like a slow dance at closing time, the bassline warm, the vocal almost whispered, while “Oliver” folds a tender hook into glassy keys and a patient pulse. They are classic Oscar and the Wolf in that shapeshifting way, as concerned with mood as with melody, and both are clear anchors here. Colombie has always had an instinct for turning restraint into drama, and these songs keep the temperature low while the tension climbs.

What separates The Shimmer from the bombast of Entity or the widescreen gloss of Infinity is how tactile it feels. You can almost hear fingers sliding on the guitar’s flatwound strings, or the way a synth pad blooms and then softens. The production favors space, which gives his voice room to curl around phrases and turn small asides into hooks. When the chorus hits, it does not shout. It glows. It is a record built for city nights, reflected on car windows and apartment ceilings, and at its best it puts you in the room with Colombie, like he is humming a line to himself and you happen to be listening in.

He has spoken before about loving glamour and shadow in equal measure, and that balance holds. The Shimmer trades in fantasy, but the details feel lived in, not ornamental. Tiny percussive clicks offset the sub bass, a muted guitar paints little arcs, and synths flicker like stage lights warming up. It suits a songwriter who made an alt pop empire at home in Belgium, then carried it to festival fields, yet still writes like a bedroom producer chasing a feeling at 2 a.m.

It also lands in a sweet spot for vinyl. This is one of those records that rewards a full side, no skipping, just letting the sound pool and flow. The low end is round without mud, the top end is satin, and the stereo field plays into the album’s title in a literal way. If you are the sort who will search for Oscar and the Wolf vinyl, consider The Shimmer vinyl a strong place to start. The production choices translate beautifully to wax, and the pacing makes sense in two sittings rather than a dozen shuffles.

There is plenty of romance here, but it rarely tips into melodrama. Colombie’s voice has a soft focus that blurs edges, so a simple line can feel cinematic. He trusts the groove and the negative space, which is why a chorus lands even when it barely lifts in volume. You can hear echoes of the club, R&B radio, and European art pop, yet it never feels derivative. It just feels like Oscar and the Wolf tightening the lens.

If you missed the album at release, it arrived to solid enthusiasm at home and a warm reception from fans who grew up with “Princes” and “So Real.” The shows that followed leaned into the record’s palette, light and smoke, choreography that moved like the songs, and those familiar waves of voices singing along. It is not a pivot so much as a refinement, a reminder that Colombie’s world is as much about texture as it is about hooks.

Crate diggers, take note. If you like to buy Oscar and the Wolf records online, this one is easy to recommend, and it sits nicely next to the earlier Oscar and the Wolf albums on vinyl. I have even pointed a couple of regulars at a Melbourne record store toward it when they asked for something nocturnal and modern, and I have seen it pop up with folks hunting for vinyl records Australia wide. However you file it, The Shimmer is a mood you can hold in your hands, a cool blue light that does exactly what the title promises.