MGMT’s 2007 debut album “Oracular Spectacular” includes the hit “Time to Pretend.” The American duo Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser formed the creative core of the project.
The album was produced with Dave Fridmann and blends psychedelic pop, electronic rock, synth-pop, and indietronica. Its three best-known singles—“Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel,” and “Kids”—gave MGMT a major international breakthrough and helped define the late-2000s indie dance sound.
A common mix-up is the song’s release history. “Time to Pretend” appeared in an earlier form on MGMT’s 2005 EP, then was re-recorded for “Oracular Spectacular.” The album itself was released digitally and independently in October 2007, followed by a physical Columbia release in January 2008.
Although MGMT is commonly described as a duo, the album also involved outside collaborators, especially producer Dave Fridmann. The duo’s partnership remains the canonical answer because VanWyngarden and Goldwasser wrote and performed the core material.