“Oh Dead Life” initially sounds a lot like mush. After a couple more listens the schmaltz is even more transparent for what it is: emotionally cloying and manipulative but, like, it’s summer so who cares, right? The sweet “doo-doo” backing vocals, flushing synth and ever-so-snug rhythmic switch-ups are played completely straight; the chord progression pulled straight from standardised indie rock songbooks. That said, there’s something fearless about a band who dives headfirst into sing-along sincerity, eschewing the need for the blasé rebuffs and counter-stances and just living within the dumb moment of the tune. Its taken right down to the vocal delivery, the mannerisms of frontman Seth Smith hitting on such docile inflections and sad-sap balm as to usher into view the potential moments where playing this song would seem so right, most of them at night. Yes, I know, the record’s called Night Group, but there’s something particularly nocturnal about “Oh Dead Life”: the warm, smooth thrum of its synth line, used more as atmospheric foundation than showy trill-monger, the curiously subdued riff. Another group would have taken the winning hook and sent it straight into the core of an exploding star. The song feels subdued for all its peripheral bluster, kinda like the Figurines on Qualuudes: it shimmies and sways like it was about to topple over in trash mic stupor. Fortunately, it never does.

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