“An electro blast that should keep you smiling throughout summer and even beyond that” Album Review: Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer

Summer is just great: sun shining, lying on the grass, watching the world go by. It's a nice way to spend a day. Throw Opppenheimer into that as well, and you'll have an electro-tastic time.

Although they sound like a German beer, Oppenheimer are something quite different. Belfast-based electropop duo Rocky O'Reilly and Shaun Robinson give us a self-titled offering that wouldn't go amiss in any summer-related event. Songs on offer here include 'My Son, The Astronaut' and 'Nine Words' which have a Californian beach feel: surfers, convertible Minis, hot dog stands. A sort of O.C. feeling comes up, where you can imagine this playing as music in the background as Marissa walks along the pier.

Their lyrics aren't short on love either. 'M.O.' is a perfect example of the bright, loved up feeling: "Circles in the centre of day/Seeing messages in wide open stares." But the light-hearted feeling also has a hidden depth. Their cover of Tom McShane song, 'Don't Call Me' sounds cheerful, but being told "Sadness fills the air/I feel the bitter sting of lonely eyes", you can sense loneliness behind the soft exterior.

With their ability to produce a sound reminiscent of American synth-art duo The Postal Service, it's an electro blast that should keep you smiling throughout summer and even beyond that.

© BBC Northern Ireland 2006