Over the past 18 months, Seattle producer duo ODESZA (Harrison Mills, Clayton Knight) have rapidly ascended to the top of their class.
Accruing listens online, selling out shows and packing out festival crowds, ODESZA have won fans through the stereo and from the stage. They’ve racked up 10 Hype Machine #1s, over 16 million SoundCloud streams, over 7.5 million Spotify plays and a sold out U.S. headline tour this spring. They’ve performed at numerous festivals including Coachella, Sasquatch, Lightning In A Bottle, Osheaga, Shambhala, What The Festival, Summer Meltdown, Decibel Festival, The Hudson Project and Symbiosis Gathering, and shared stages with Pretty Lights, Bonobo, Emancipator, and Star Slinger.
ODESZA proudly unveil their brand new album, In Return, on Counter Records (a Ninja Tune imprint).
In Return more than delivers on the promise of ODESZA's previous work. A record with a precocious maturity and coherence, it’s a start-to-finish stunner of pop-infused, electronic wonder, littered with infectious hooks and potent atmosphere.
Vocal performances from Zyra, Py, Shy Girls, and Madelyn Grant, who is featured on the previously released hit, “Sun Models,” are expertly worked into ODESZA's trademark, mood-altering uplift.
Review:
Seattle duo ODESZA stated their own sound with the title of their
2012 debut, Summer's Gone, a two-word phrase that perfectly captures the
bittersweet and blissful mood of their electro-pop. In Return, the
band's sophomore release, is an equally apt title on chronology alone, but
it's also an indication that the band continues to offer the warm fuzzies, and
still fills the gap between acts like Pretty Lights and Miike Snow. Making their
porridge “just right,” ODESZA are the group for the third bear, as highlight
“Say My Name” with vocalist Zyra could be an asset on a mixtape marked
“hipster,” “everyman,” “reserved snob,” or “club kid.” With
clicks and chaos both soothed by the siren that is vocalist Py, “Echoes”
holds appeal for those who like things brittle and glitchy, but also those who
like things very Sia or Lorde. Ethereal and epic as well, “Memories That You
Call” must be what it sounds like when Buddhist temples hold raves, while
“All We Need” with Shy Girls is a different, more Prince-like and
radio-worthy take on the genre of cloudy indie R&B. In the end, the diverse
and dreamy In Return is just like Summer's Gone with sampled vocals being
replaced by well-selected vocalists, but more than anything, it's a humble
crowd-pleaser, wistful and warm just like another end of summer.
All Music Guide – David Jeffries