Madison Arts Extract

Madison synth-pop act Null Device centers around Eric Oehler, a singer who’s not particularly charismatic, eccentric, or even all that moody. Which doesn’t sound like a compliment at first, but it actually works to the group’s advantage. Oehler’s vocals give each song a clear melodic framework with lots of room to experiment on Perihelion, the group’s fifth full-length. Oehler, Eric Goedeken [sic] and Jill Sheridan often seem to root Null Device in the pleasantly austere sounds of New Order, but color it in with everything from glitchy electronics to Middle Eastern scales and Indian percussion. That said, Perihelion seems refreshingly comfortable with the idea of sensible, mild-mannered folks pursuing a musical passion. Lyrically, the songs find Null Device moping over an ex on “The One Who Came After Me” and pondering the aging process on “Night Owl.” That said, tunes like “Cockatoo Girls” show that Null Device can also take their clean and trim pop hooks into surreal territory. The album will be available July 30 through Null Device’s Bandcamp