Pyromaniac (Oh Land song)

"Pyromaniac" is a song by Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land, taken from her third studio album Wish Bone (2013). It was released digitally as the album's second single on 2 September 2013 by Tusk or Tooth and A:larm Music, exclusively in Denmark. The track was written by Oh Land and Jimmy Harry, and produced by David Andrew Sitek. A combination of funk, pop, and soul music, "Pyromaniac" features a hook with repetitive lyrics and was compared to the works of several artists, including the Cardigans, Robyn, and Phoenix.

"Pyromaniac"
Single by Oh Land
from the album Wish Bone
Released2 September 2013
Recorded2013
StudioFederal Prism Studios (Glendale, California)
Genre
Length3:44
Label
  • Tusk or Tooth
  • A:larm Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Andrew Sitek
Oh Land singles chronology
"Renaissance Girls"
(2013)		 "Pyromaniac"
(2013)		 "Cherry on Top"
(2014)

Receiving a mixed response from music critics, "Pyromaniac" was highlighted for being a strong track on Wish Bone but faulted for being inferior to her previous singles. A music video for the single was released on 13 September 2013 and directed by Rasmus Weng Karlsen and Jasper Carlberg. It features the singer in a variety of outfits.

Background and composition

"Pyromaniac" is taken from Oh Land's third studio album, Wish Bone (2013). The album's second single overall, "Pyromaniac" was released as a digital download on 2 September 2013 by Tusk or Tooth Records and A:larm Music; it was distributed exclusively in Denmark.[1] It was written by Oh Land and Jimmy Harry, and produced by David Andrew Sitek. Additionally, several musicians contributed to the track, including drummer Nathaniel Morton, Todd Simon who played brass instruments, and Zeph Showers who served as the head audio engineer and mixer.[2] The song itself was recorded at Federal Prism Studios in Glendale, California.[3]

Musically, "Pyromaniac" features a "sweet melody" and "occasional minor-key twists".[4] Leonie Cooper from NME described the song's genre as "straight-up lo-fi funk" and claimed it "com[es] on like Robyn produced by Phoenix".[5] Continuing, Michael Jose Gonzalez of Gaffa called it a mixture of pop, funk, and soul music.[6] Throughout the song, Oh Land repeatedly sings "woo-hoo", which was considered reminiscent to some of her previous singles.[4] Jennifer Joh from Neon Tommy compared it to the Cardigans' 1996 single "Lovefool".[4]

Critical reception

"Pyromaniac" received a mixed to positive response from music critics. NME's Leonie Cooper called it "remarkable",[5] while James Christopher Monger from AllMusic called the song a "better version" of Oh Land's "My Boxer" (2013); he also described it as "Studio 54-kissed".[7] Gaffa's Michael Jose Gonzalez listed "Renaissance Girls", "My Boxer", and "Pyromaniac" as three potential hits from Wish Bone in his album review.[6] In a highly positive review, Neon Tommy's Jennifer Joh called it "very quintessential Oh Land" and "different and clearly inspired by more classic songs".[4] In a more mixed review, Christopher Monk from musicOMH felt that the song (and the parent album) was not "lacking in hooks" and considered it one of Wish Bone's strongest tracks, but overall said that it (along with "Bird in an Aeroplane" and "Cherry on Top") cannot match the quality or catchiness of her previous singles, listing "Sun of a Gun" and "White Nights" as two examples.[8] Similarly, Hannah Eads from The Daily Nebraskan considered both "Pyromaniac" and "Renaissance Girls" to be "just as edgy and catchy as the first", but claimed that "the songs contribute nothing new to the genre".[9]

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Pyromaniac" was directed by Rasmus Weng Karlsen and Jasper Carlberg.[10][11] It was released on 13 September 2013 via Oh Land's official YouTube account.[12] The video features the singer in a wide variety of outfits.[10] Some of the scenes include Oh Land in front of several fire dancers, singing in front of a mirror, and skinny dipping with a group of friends. During the aforementioned scene where Oh Land appears swimming in the nude, censor bars are used.[12]

Track listing
Digital download[1]
No.TitleLength
1."Pyromaniac"3:44

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Wish Bone liner notes.[2]

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Denmark[1] 2 September 2013 Digital download Tusk or Tooth Records
A:larm Music

References
  1. "Pyromaniac – Single – Oh Land". iTunes Store (DK). 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  2. Wish Bone (CD liner notes). Oh Land. Tusk or Tooth. 2013. TOTCD001.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Pyromaniac". Oh Land Music. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. Joh, Jennifer (24 September 2013). "Oh Land: 'Wish Bone' Album Review". Neon Tommy. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  5. Cooper, Leonie (2013). "Oh Land – 'Wish Bone'". NME. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. Gonzalez, Michael Jose (14 September 2013). "Oh Land: Wish Bone". Gaffa (in Danish). Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  7. Monger, James Christopher. "Oh Land – Wishbone". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. Monk, Christopher (7 October 2013). "Oh Land – Wish Bone". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  9. Eads, Hannah (26 September 2013). "Oh Land's new album 'Wish Bone' is forgetful, repetitive". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  10. "Music Video: Oh Land – Pyromaniac". Jasper Carlberg. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  11. "Oh Land Music: Videos". Oh Land Music. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

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