Oolong – About Your Imaginary Friend

Vinyl LP pressing. About Your Imaginary Friend came out back in February but it's stayed in pretty regular rotation for me all year and I can't think of many other 2020 releases that have. That said, there's not much that separates Oolong from the pack in terms of style. About Your Imaginary Friend borrows heavily from many of the Cap'N Jazz worship acts that kicked off the emo revival a decade or so ago. Admittedly, Oolong doesn't have much to offer that you couldn't get from an Algernon Cadwallader or a Street Smart Cyclist song. It's an established sound, but Oolong knocks it out of the park. Had this record come out during the genesis of fourth-wave emo, I have no doubt that it would be regarded as a classic of the era. About Your Imaginary Friend encapsulated me from the get-go with tracks one through three. The opening title track is an acoustically driven ballad with some beautiful glockenspiel embellishments. It's brief - just under two minutes - but it does a great job of setting the scene and building up towards the end into the immediate burst of energy that kicks off Welcome to Destiny Island. Welcome to Destiny Island serves as a contrasting companion piece to About Your Imaginary Friend's composure and serenity, as it drifts from between loose waltzes and vigorous performances that feel one blow from falling apart at any given second. Track three, Roxies and Cigarettes, carries that energy over with it's catchy as all hell opening guitar line and an accompanying drum part that perfectly compliments it's jagged simplicity. The rest of the song is a rollercoaster with countless twists and turns into new grooves and tapestries of sound.