Oscar and the Wolf

Oscar and the Wolf
Oscar and the Wolf live
Oscar and the Wolf live
Background information
OriginBelgium
GenresElectropop, dream pop, indie rock, baroque pop
Years active2010–present
LabelsPlay It Again Sam, Neon Gold Records
MembersMax Colombie
Websiteoscarandthewolf.com

Oscar and the Wolf is the moniker for Belgian solo artist Max Colombie.

Life and career

Oscar and the Wolf first gained international attention with the single "Orange Sky" in 2013, which got them support slots for the likes of Lou Reed, but gained critical acclaim and success with debut album Entity, released in April 2014. This album departed from the sound of Colombie's indie folk EPs and ventured into a new electronic sound. It was the first time Max Colombie took control, and the album was co-produced and mixed by Leo Abrahams.

'Entity' includes the tracks "Princes", "Undress" and "Strange Entity". It was received reviews in Belgium and abroad, including praise from Drowned in Sound and Les Inrocks, and went double platinum in Belgium.[1][2][3]

'The Game', the first single off his second album, was released in July 2016. It peaked at n° 14 on the Hype Machine chart.[4]

In 2015, after extensive touring across Europe, including a support tour for Roisin Murphy, Oscar and the Wolf sold out Sportpaleis (Antwerp, Belgium) and Heineken Music Hall (Amsterdam, Netherlands), with a total of 27000 tickets. In 2016, after headlining Pukkelpop festival, he sold out both Ancienne Belgique (Brussels, Belgium) and Paradiso (Amsterdam) in just 4 minutes. He announced new shows at Sportpaleis and Heineken Music Hall immediately after.

In an interview with Pi-Pôle, Max revealed the meaning behind his band's name: "Oscar is a name I really like – it's poetic and light. And wolf is the dark animal that comes out at night and howls to the full moon, and moon stands for solitude and coldness. It's bright and dark together, because that's how I see my music – as a balance between light and dark."[5]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
BEL
(FL)
[6] 		BEL
(WA)
[7] 		FRA
[8] 		NLD
[9]
Entity 1 11 — 8
Infinity
  • Released: 29 September 2017[13]
  • Label: PIAS
  • Format: CD, digital download
 1 4 178 6
The Shimmer
  • Released: 22 October 2021[15]
  • Label: PIAS
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 1 8 — 23
Taste
  • Released: 25 October 2024
  • Label: PIAS
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 2 34 — 43

Extended plays

Title Details Peak chart positions
BEL
(FL)
[6]
Imagine Mountains
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD
 —
Summer Skin
  • Released: 24 June 2012
  • Label: PIAS
  • Formats: 12-inch record, CD
 —
Afterglow
  • Released: 10 June 2022
  • Label: PIAS
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
 108

Singles

List of singles by main artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
BEL
(FL)
[6] 		BEL
(WA)
[7] 		FRA
[8]
"Orange Sky" 2012 85 — — Summer Skin
"Princes" 2014 18 7 — Entity
"Strange Entity" 4 15 —
"Undress" 52 — —
"Joaquim" 39 — —
"You're Mine"
(featuring Raving George) 		2015 2 5 — Non-album single
"Back to Black (Film Black Version)"
(featuring Tsar B) 		3 10 — Black (Music From the Motion Picture)
"The Game" 2016 12 54 — Non-album single
"So Real" 2017 34 72 — Infinity
"Breathing" 6 49 105
"Runaway" 17 58 —
"Fever" 2018 27 72 —
"On Fire" 24 — — Non-album single
"James" 2021 32 — — The Shimmer
"Oliver" 43 — —
"Livestream" 46 — —
"Warrior" 2022 1 — — Taste
"Angel Face" 2024 5 41 —
"Somebody Without U" 14 — —
"Oh Boy" — — —
"Spill My Liquor" — — —
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

References

  1. ^ "Oscar and The Wolf, 'Entity'" (in Dutch). cuttingedge.be. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Drowned In Sound". Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Les Inrocks".
  4. ^ "Hypem".
  5. ^ "Pi-Pôle: Oscar and The Wolf". August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Oscar and the Wolf discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Oscar and the Wolf discography". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Discographie Oscar and the Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Oscar and the Wolf discography". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Entity by Oscar and the Wolf on Apple Music". iTunes. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2016". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Goud/Platina — NVPI Audio" (To access, enter the search parameter "Oscar and the Wolf" and select "Search") (in Dutch). NVPI. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Infinity by Oscar and the Wolf on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  15. ^ "The Shimmer by Oscar and the Wolf". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2016". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2015". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oscar and the Wolf.