Jamie xx first appeared on the scene as one third of gloomy hipsters The xx, before establishing himself as a solo producer and DJ with his era-defining masterpiece ‘In Colour’ in 2015. As such, his second solo album has big shoes to fill, and the good news is that it pulls it off. ‘In Waves’ is a superb dance record, blending compositional chops, avant-garde arrangements and sampling to deliver a tapestry of terrific poise and hedonistic abandon.
There are a lot of stand out moments. Baddy on the Floor, featuring Honey Dijon, is an absolute banger and instant club classic, melding intelligent funky house with brass explosions and Daft Punk-esque production. It’s a memorable and euphoric earworm that could effortlessly soundtrack a rave in a field, a late-night house party or Goal of the Month montage.
Similar vibes can be found on Life, which features Swedish pop icon Robyn. This also combines horns, rip-roaring riffs and tidy little production innovations, and while it’s not quite as strong as Baddy the song retains the general high quality of the composition and arrangement.
The album comes a little unstuck on The Feeling I Get From You — a sentimental shuffler that sails a bit too close to Moby — but by the time All You Children, created with Aussie duo Avalanches, rolls around we’re back in business.
This one brings together a slightly demonic children’s choir with fresh synths and chords, and absolutely zings out of the speakers. The record is rounded off with Falling Together, featuring Irish dancer, choreographer and poet Oona Docherty. We achieve a kind of higher spiritual plane at this point.
‘In Colour’ was a grower of an album. It was clearly funky and fresh but it wasn’t immediately obvious that it would be one of the best dance records of the 2010s. ‘In Waves’ feels the same in many respects. Not all the tracks present themselves as stone cold classics, and yet new elements keep presenting themselves five, six, seven listens in. Some will continue to claim Jamie xx is overrated, and while there are probably more innovative DJ-producers out there, none of them quite manage to combine this innovation with raw, unbridled joy like he does. A record of ecstatic wonder.
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