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Sep 20, 2024 Web Exclusive By Carlo Thomas

For Jamie xx, In Waves is something of a homecoming. The album can be traced back to his Radio 1 Essential Mix for PPC in April 2020; for him, the opportunity helped him reconnect to his love of creating music. He carried this spirit over the following few years as he tested material across DJ sets, resulting in his first solo album since 2015’s landmark In Colour.

Jamie xx captures across In Wave’s 11 tracks the range of emotions that come from a night at the club. “Treat Each Other Right” and “Still Summer” celebrate life through the deep, pulsing house that’s become his signature sound. Meanwhile, “Waited All Night,” featuring xx bandmates Romy and Oliver Sim, tap into the mix of elation and pain that comes from looking over your shoulder, waiting for that special someone (Romy’s silky “da-da-da-da” evokes equal parts bliss and longing). On album highlight “Life,” Robyn brilliantly captures the dangerous euphoria of giving yourself over to someone you may never see again. It’s a dark and honest touch that gives depth to the blast of horn samples and rapping percussion.

The range of the album’s singles—from the piston-fast beats of “Baddy on the Floor” to the subdued bouncing grooves of “Daffodil”—may have made listeners guess how Jamie xx would work them in the context of an album. More often than not, In Waves feels more like a collection of solid dance songs rather than a radio mix or cohesive statement. Only the penultimate track “Every Single Weekend (Interlude)”—which weaves together samples from the previous “All You Children” through a lighthearted one-minute breather—hints at a path not taken.

The thrill of radio mixes and DJ sets comes from a sense of discovery, the anticipation that comes when a transition starts and the next song queued up is anyone’s guess. Yet what In Colour lacks in cohesiveness is more than made up for in emotion and sincerity. In another artist’s hands, lines like “All we gotta do is treat each other right” would come off as naive and reductive. With Jamie xx, they’re testaments to life. (www.jamiexx.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10