Sometimes an album amazes you because you’ve never heard anything like it. But the opposite can also happen; an album blows you away because it seems to draw from lots of music you’ve heard and love, and combines the influences so perfectly it manages to transcend them altogether. Such is the case with Seattle-based duo Odesza‘s jaw-dropping new LP, In Return, released last week by Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records. Odesza are hardly alone in terms of genre, but In Return really feels like a seminal work that no one is going to top anytime soon.
Odesza are working in a crowded field of producers making sunny electronic-pop fusion, and their last album — 2012’s Summer’s Gone — was very decent but hardly stood out. They’ve clearly traveled lightyears since. In Return seems to combine the sounds of many esteemed artists – Purity Ring‘s vocal manipulations, Tycho‘s cinematic beauty, Bonobo‘s sleek synth tones – and then adds a new ingredient, a hand-picked group of up-and-coming vocalists. This inclusion, along with a few more years of experience seem to be what’s elevated Odesza from mere mortals to peddlers of something very rare.
For much of the album, Odesza employ a pattern of alternating vocal and instrumental tracks. It’s an effective structure, displaying Odesza’s striking improvement on their own as well as their newfound penchant for crafting collaborative pop tunes that could blow up on the radio (if they weren’t too good for it). Tracks 1 & 3, “Always This Late” and “Bloom” are gorgeous, golden-hour soundscapes, while 2 & 4, “Say My Name” and “All We Need” are the best pop music I’ve heard all year, songs that will force a big smile onto your face time after time. A1 Always This Late 2:41 A2 Say My Name (Feat. Zyra) 4:23 A3 Bloom 3:16 A4 All We Need (Feat. Shy Girls) 3:31 B1 Sundara 2:16 B2 White Lies (Feat. Jenni Potts) 4:37 B3 Kusanagi 3:28 C1 Echoes (Feat. Py) 4:24 C2 It's Only (Feat. Zyra) 4:28 C3 Koto 3:14 D1 Memories That You Call (Feat. Monsoonsiren) 4:08 D2 Sun Models (Feat. Madelyn Grant) 2:40 D3 For Us (Feat. Briana Marela) 5:51
