Oberhofer Brings On The Bedroom Pop

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on May 24, 2011 7:00PM

Oberhofer is the brainchild of Brad Oberhofer, a Brooklyn 20-year old with a knack for incredibly catchy pop. It began as an intimate bedroom project and essentially still is, except that now its sound has spread from the bedroom to venues across the nation.

Coming off a tour with Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells, Oberhofer will make his way to Chicago for a show at Lincoln Hall June 6. He’s still riding the wave of his January release, Away Frm U, a 7-inch of complex guitar, playful keyboard, and addictive hooks. The album’s title track showcases his youthful wisdom with off-kilter melodies and anxiously sung lyrics like, “You're pushing me away from you/Oh and I know what I'll do/I'll hop the fence so I can get out of this mess”

Wise move. Oberhofer’s music is clearly inspired by some lovesickness, but certainly also from the loss of his home - he relocated to NY after his home in Tacoma, WA burnt down. Bummer. But he applies all that hardship and emotion to his music in a way that avoids being depressing and is instead refreshingly optimistic.

For the live performance, Oberhofer will bring along a full band to flesh out the sound of his homemade pop. Also performing will be local psych-pop acts Young Man and Netherfriends. By the way, Netherfriends is currently on a bicycle tour, as in biking around the Northeast U.S. to play a handful of shows. Crazy right? As the man behind the solo act Shawn Rosenblatt says, “Gas is expensive. I am sick of paying for it. I am sick of driving and feeling like a slob.” While the tour started a day later than expected, he’s still scheduled to return to Chicago early June for the hometown show.

Anyhow, here’s a video of Oberhofer and his crew performing an acoustic version of “Away Frm U”:

Oberhofer performs Sunday, June 5 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln, 9 p.m., $10, 18+