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[one_half last=”yes”]ODESZA
In Return
Release-Date: 08.09.2014
Label: Counter Records
Tracklist:
01. Always This Late
02. Say My Name (feat. Zyra)
03. Bloom
04. All We Need (feat. Shy Girls)
05. Sundara
06. White Lies (feat. Jenni Potts)
07. Kusanagi
08. Echoes (feat. Py)
09. It’s Only (feat. Zyra)
10. Koto
11. Memories That You Call (feat. Monsoonsiren)
12. Sun Models (feat. Madelyn Grant)
13. For Us (feat. Briana Marela)
NBHAP Rating: 3,5/5
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Chillwave is dead
Maybe. Maybe not. Was it even alive in the first place? It seems like everybody used that categorization three years ago to label that new generation of beat makers that mixed various influences from hip hop to 80s synthpop into one dreamy but also grooving fresh sound. And pretty much every artist hated that classification, probably even Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight aka ODESZA whose music has far more to offer.
Experience
In Return follows the acclaimed 2012 debut Summer’s Gone which was packed with all these charismatic clichés about that infamous ‘chillwave’-branding. Seattle-based duo ODESZA made themselves quite a name in the recent years, delivering solid productions, touring with PRETTY LIGHTS and expanding their sound into various directions. You can immediately sense that increased experience on In Return. The album sounds more focussed and diversified.
The sound of summer
Leaving the limited haze of the debut behind, the duo discovers new ground. Still, we got discreet chillwave groove (Sundara), dreamy ambient moments (Kusanagi), the usual psychedelic shuffling beat (Bloom) but also a few new ideas, thanks to the multiple vocal guests on the album. White Lies and Echoes deliver gentle pop while All We Need comes with an undeniable r&b vibe. ODESZA still deliver sunny summer sounds but this time way more focussed and diversified.
American duo ODESZA expands its sound on ‘In Return’ as they add multiple guest singers and genres to their musical microcosm, delivering a rich and colourful compilation of dreamy electronic sounds.
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