In Return is the second album to be released by the American chillwave duo Odesza. At the risk of sounding like a complete hipster, you probably haven’t heard of this 2014 release – save for its lead single “Say My Name (feat. Zyra)”. The reason being that Odesza’s first LP Summer’s Gone gained success in a mostly underground audience, and appeasing the “Top-40 crowd” isn’t the aim of Odesza’s music. However, if you’re willing to take the plunge, you’ll be welcomed into one of the most beautiful and relaxing soundscapes of all time.
So. In Return. The album is littered with various stylistic tendencies, taking influence seemingly from chillwave, tropical house and trip-hop as its main backbones but with plenty of original experimentation to prevent it from feeling clichéd or pastiche. There’s an overwhelming sense of depth to the album and if you try to pick out each individual instrument you start to realise the immense volume of layers, woven together to create an atmosphere of peace. And dancing. Lots of dancing.
The sheer number of individual sounds and instruments (often eastern choices such as the koto and the sitar) means that no two songs sound the same, although the Odesza spirit is preserved as each track flows beautifully into the next. The truly inventive sounds used throughout the album come in the form of vocal manipulation, using small snippets of singing and pulling the samples around different pitches to create a wholly unique touch – most easily observed on tracks like “Sun Models (feat. Madelyn Grant)”. Techniques like this add a little something extra to In Return and make it feel much more worthy of the title of art.
It’s incredibly difficult to put into words the exact effect that Odesza’s music has on the mind and how it is achieved – the biggest factor being that the music sounds totally unique, original and above all interesting. Likewise, picking a favourite track becomes challenging when they’re all so beautiful, and each offers something different. “Always This Late” acts as the perfect opener, merely hinting at the album’s sound in a serene manner before leading into “Say My Name”. Incidentally, Zyra’s other contribution to the album, “It’s Only” is a haunting balance between the mystical and the unsettling thanks to its dark lyrics but decidedly lighter harp and percussive melodies. “Sundara” and “Koto” encompass everything that is great about Odesza’s instrumental writing, and the aforementioned “Sun Models” will hook any dance music aficionado.
In Return is an absolute must listen for those who value electronic music in any form, and Odesza are definitely a duo to keep an eye on for the future. Incidentally, a deluxe re-release edition of In Return will surface on the 18th September later this year, including the new single “Lights (feat. Little Dragon)” – so if your curiosity has been piqued, there’s no better time than the present.
[ Adam Hitchen ] 