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.
'The Game', the first single off his second album, was released in July 2016. It peaked at n° 14 on the Hype Machine chart.
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."
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications BEL(FL) BEL(WA) FRA NLD Entity Released: 25 April 2014 Label: PIAS Format: CD, digital download 1 11 — 8 BEA: 2× Platinum NVPI: GoldInfinity Released: 29 September 2017 Label: PIAS Format: CD, digital download 1 4 178 6 BEA: Gold The Shimmer Released: 22 October 2021 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) BEL(WA) 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 — Jardin Released: 12 December 2025 Label: Uforia, Strauss Formats: Digital download, streaming 26 10
Singles + List of singles by main artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album BEL (FL) BEL (WA) FRA "Orange Sky" 2012 85 — — Summer Skin "Princes" 2014 18 7 — BEA: Platinum Entity "Strange Entity" 4 15 — BEA: Platinum "Undress" 52 — — "Joaquim" 39 — — "You're Mine" 2015 2 5 — "Back to Black (Film Black Version)" 3 10 — BEA: Gold Black (Music From the Motion Picture) "The Game" 2016 12 54 — "So Real" 2017 34 72 — Infinity "Breathing" 6 49 105 BEA: Gold "Runaway" 17 58 — "Fever" 2018 27 72 — "On Fire" 24 — — "James" 2021 32 — — The Shimmer "Oliver" 43 — — "Livestream" 46 — — "Warrior" 2022 1 — — BEA: Platinum Taste"Angel Face"2024 5 41 — BEA: Platinum"Somebody Without U" 14 — — BEA: Gold"Oh Boy" — — —"Spill My Liquor" 50 — —"Ceiling" 2025 — 44 — Jardin"Safe and Sound" 2026 39 — — "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.
References
External links