Jamie xx - In Waves Review

In Waves is a call to the dancefloor, designed to make you move and leave you riding euphoric highs long after the night ends.

It’s sometimes difficult to believe that Jamie xx’s long-awaited successor to the Mercury Prize nominated In Colour is only his second LP. His debut effort, with its rainbow splattered album art, nuanced blend of old and contemporary dance sounds, and startling originality captured its listeners. It was also released nearly a decade ago, and Smith will be the first to admit that in that time dance music, the world, and Smith himself has gone through drastic changes. The product is In Waves, whose cover is now adorned with psychedelic monochromatic patterns, and whose music manages to distil how dance music, the world, and its creator have changed in the past decade, while still being so inspired.

Smith hasn’t released an album in a decade but he has been anything but dormant. The xx came back with their 2017 offering I See You, solely produced by Smith again. He produced both Romy’s and Oliver Sims’ solo projects. He travelled much of the world, where his services were increasingly coveted by bigger and bigger crowds. He took up surfing. In his words, all this provided a useful distraction, but at the end only a temporary stay away from making a new record. It started as an inward exploration of why he still wanted to make music, but eventually transformed into a collaborative effort, with Smith still pulling the strings with his sonic magic. 

In Waves is a reflection of its perfectionist orchestrator, but maintains the loose and free energy that Smith so desperately wants to inject back into dance culture. Album opener ‘Wanna’ sets the tone immediately; with Smith’s signature blend of atmospheric, dissonant synths serving as the clear backdrop for strings and bright vocal samples. Lead single ‘Baddy on the Floor’ incorporates intricate layering, yet when its energy is at its highest, he lets the interplay between the percussion and horns take centre stage, creating the ultimate catharsis. ‘Life’, his collaboration with Swedish Europop icon Robyn, is in equal measure playful and brash as it is reflective.

Even with his musical ability, moments on In Waves remind us of his fallibility. Smith has spoken previously about his reflections on how his artistry has undoubtedly affected contemporary dance music, both positively and negatively. ‘Treat Each Other Right’ falls into lyrical platitudes about love without much depth, while the vocal sampling of Almeta Lattimore’s soulful ‘Oh My Love’ is at best repetitive but at worst grating. Similarly, ‘Feeling I Got’ lacks the spirit of the other tracks, sounding a little too close to music you might hear while shopping on the high street; the exact type of ‘stylish’ but bland dance music that Smith bemoans. Yet the floor never sinks subterranean. With someone as talented as Smith, these should be taken as creative decisions that fall flat, not a lack of creativity as a whole.

To that token, for the ones that fail to match the bar he so rigorously sets for himself, others shatter past them. The robotic mantra on ‘Breathe’ is equally haunting and relaxing, and when coupled with the droning bass that pushes the track forward, as well as bold synth arpeggios near the back end, the listening experience can feel transcendental. The UK garage motivated track ‘Waited All Night’ features a mini reunion of The xx, with Romy and Oliver Sim showcasing the established chemistry between them while recounting a hazy night out. In Waves is at its best when it is unabashedly raucous. ‘Daffodil’ and ‘All You Children’ demonstrate his ability to conjure something magnetic even with a growing guest list. The former showcases his penchant for negative space, something he demonstrates throughout, to build and release tension. ‘Falling Together’ bookends the party with dancer Oona Doherty musing over a skittish snare drumbeat, with its words almost a call to action to let go, dance, and fall. 

After initially pushing the release from its original pre-summer date trying to craft the song ‘Life’ and perfect the others, Smith hosted a 10 night long residency at Venue MOT called ‘The Floor’. It acted as a testing ground for many of the tracks here - a chance for him to adjust the pulse of each track depending on its reception. He welcomed guests like Charli XCX, Kelly Lee Owens, George Daniel among others, providing a Plastic People for this generation. Smith himself says these events reshaped his inspiration to make music, and In Waves acts as a perfect statement of his vision: he wants to invite everyone to the dancefloor, he wants to make people move, and he wants them to remember the euphoric highs the morning after.

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