Oberhofer

Emerging from humble lo-fi bedroom beginnings in New York during the late 2000s, the eccentric yet infectious indie pop outfit Oberhofer progressed to collaborating with acclaimed producer Steve Lillywhite for its 2012 Glassnote debut, Time Capsules II. In the ensuing period, extensive touring followed, encompassing a slot at Coachella alongside further singular pop releases such as the 2015 effort Chronovision and a collection of eclectic covers. The project's initial full-length statement of the subsequent decade arrived with the tense yet tuneful Smothered in 2021.

Centered on Brad Oberhofer, the endeavor originated in 2008 after he moved from his Tacoma, Washington hometown to New York for music composition studies at New York University. Its first recording surfaced in 2010 via the self-issued single o0o0o0o0o, which highlighted a taste for intimate synth-pop textures, while profile-raising tours alongside acts including Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Twin Sister, and Bear in Heaven soon ensued. That next autumn brought a Brooklyn session with Steve Lillywhite—known for work with U2, the Rolling Stones, and Talking Heads—to shape Time Capsules II, which incorporated expanded orchestral touches and richer production; the album appeared on Glassnote in March 2012 amid continued road work that included another Coachella appearance.

Assembled from sessions spanning Tacoma, New York, and Los Angeles, then refined by mixer Ben H. Allen of Animal Collective and Reptar renown from more than 100 initial sketches, the lively follow-up Chronovision emerged in fall 2015. Subsequent activity centered on reinterpretations via the distinctive covers set Table 19: Oberhofer's Ultimate Wedding Mixtape in 2017, followed by scattered standalone tracks such as 2018's "Dreamed I Was Gonna Be Your Man" and 2020's "Following the Clock to Sleep." A fresh partnership with Nashville's independent Telefono Records paved the way for Smothered, Oberhofer's first proper album in six years, which surfaced in November 2021.