Time to Pretend is a monster. A massive, almost immediate hit, rightfully claiming a place on the list of greatest, album-opening tracks. It perfectly launches the rest of “Oracular Spectacular” even further into the depths of rich, funky, soulful psychedelia that never seems to be for its own sake, or anything other than genuine. And it’s not the only hit. The songcraft exhibited by the duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser belies their youth and relative inexperience. That this is their debut record makes it all the more impressive.
Despite the deliciously outrageous, aforementioned Time to Pretend’s perfectly over-the-top hooks and tongue-in-cheek pop dominance, this is a refined journey into the depths of what a musical experience can be. There’s a strata to this album, a remarkably diverse set of forces, providing a demarcation that allows everything to reveal itself.