Joining the roster of sister / brother electronic duos like THE KNIFE, SPRAY, LASTLINGS and MINIMAL SCHLAGER are Denmark’s OHNOTHING.

Comprising of Annika Baier on vocals + MicroKorg and Jesper Lund Rimmerhus Vesterager on just about everything else, the siblings have distinct and traditional duo roles in OHNOTHING with Baier at the front and Vesterager in the background.

Although their second long playing release, ‘aNgelus’ is their first album proper with their debut ‘H’ being more a collection of singles rather than having a cohesive focus towards a bigger picture. Described as “the lovechild of Kate Bush and KRAFTWERK”, that previous collection had much more of an alternative lo-fi indie template. But as sophomores, OHNOTHING take to synths and pop with much more aplomb.

Named after the painting by Jean-Francois Millet and produced at their home recording studio in Odense on the Danish island of Funen, ‘aNgelus’ begins with the distorted artpop of ‘You Don’t Need to Listen’, an emotive cocoon of synth and indie given an uplifting resonance by Annika Baier’s anguished tones. Even more afflicted in its vocal delivery, ‘Bones’ is an enjoyable musical hybrid of OMD and BIG COUNTRY given a Nordic twist.

The punchy ‘Static’ takes on the influence of guitar-spec NEW ORDER but then surprises with a pulsing middle synth section. ‘Mirror Mirror’ is much moodier while the eerie ‘Moon Man’ is more conventionally indie with a conscious lift off THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s ‘Femme Fatale’.

The interlude piece ‘Hide’ heads into THE CURE ‘Plainsong’ territory although the droning bass motif is pure OMD but this sets the scene for the self-explanatory ‘Diskothek’; laced with octave shifts, chants and scratchy rhythm guitar, it is goth Italo offset by a coy sexiness. Cut from a similar discofied cloth but utilising big sampled drums, ‘Uncomfortable Amount of Time’ exudes Far Eastern overtones both synthetically and vocally.

Reminiscent of the mysterious cult band GIRL ONE & THE GREASE GUNS, ‘In Love With Melancholia’ does as it says on the tin, a ballad with an equal mix of six string and haunting synth as Baier wallows sweetly in her cacophony of sadness. But ending with the rousing single ‘Hey OK’, it percussively recalls Sweden’s KITE and provides a pumping anthem of positivity because “hey hey, it’s gonna be ok!”.

Crafting a more immediate electronic pop sound while retaining some indie elements but also dialling down the Bush-isms of ‘H’, OHNOTHING have inadvertently morphed into a Scandinavian version of the Berlin-based Argentine sister / brother MINIMAL SCHLAGER with whom they share a similarly playful sound.

Some synth enthusiasts who might not have taken to ‘H’ might find the shoegazed styled wall-of-sound on ‘aNgelus’ hard work on the ears, but with Baier finding much more of her own voice, it points to an upward trajectory for OHNOTHING with joy and tunes amongst the angst and melancholy in its art-inspired underground.

‘aNgelus’ is released by Celebration Records on the usual digital platforms via https://ohnothing.lnk.to/angelus

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
23 August 2023