Jamie XX – ‘In Waves’ album review: a mix of bops and blunders
THE SKINNY: Just under a decade ago, Jamie XX delivered his debut album and a modern electronic classic all in one go. In Colour has soundtracked every single one of my summers since. Every March, when the clocks change and tentative rays of sunlight finally begin to peek out from six months of clouds and cold, I shuffle through my record collection for the kaleidoscopic cover and welcome in the new season with wistful house and a myriad of sanguine samples.
Despite the immediate and continual outpouring of love for In Colour, Jamie XX never felt rushed to deliver a follow-up. He took his time, built up his production credits, flirted with the idea of returning to The XX through remixes and one-off collaborations. Only now, nine years on from the release of In Colour, does he finally return with a full-length offering, In Waves.
In Waves, true to its name, is a continuation of In Colour. It contains many of the same motifs – mournful keys providing moments of reflection in dancefloor fillers, stunted samples and emotional electronica, vocals hiding home truths within them. In Waves is at its best when it leans into those classic Jamie XX moves, though it does little to build upon them, or when it falls fully into club-worthy tracks that pulse and pant.
Where In Waves occasionally falls flat is in those in-betweens. In attempts to create more straightforward club tunes, in uninspired efforts that could soundtrack sunny days for a year but be forgotten about by the next. At least on your first few listens, In Waves certainly doesn’t seem to have the staying power of In Colour, it’s more like watching Jamie XX mix and make the occasional blunder, throwing off the rhythm of the crowd.
For fans of Jamie’s debut, In Waves will provide bouts of nostalgia and a few new tracks to save to your playlist, but what it provides most is an urge to relisten to In Colour.
For fans of: Long waits and long nights.
A concluding comment from a long-suffering The XX fan: “Only two more years to go if In Waves is anything to go by!“
In Waves track by track:
Label: Young | Producer: Jamie XX | Release date: September 20th
‘Wanna’: It’s been almost a decade since Jamie XX released his kaleidoscopic debut album, In Colour, but the opening track to follow-up In Waves immediately makes it feel like no time has passed. Pairing wistful keys and restless strings with subtle beats and echoing vocals, ‘Waves’ plunges listeners right back into his emotional take on electronica. [4/5]
‘Treat Each Other Right’: Don’t be fooled by the gentle reintroduction provided by ‘Waves’. ‘Treat Each Other Right’ is some of Jamie’s most erratic work yet, flitting between an (almost) overused sample of the title phrase, an Avalanches-esque second vocal, and unrelenting bass. [3.5/5]
‘Waited All Night’ (ft. Romy and Oliver Sim): For those of us still pining for a reunion of The XX, ‘Waited All Night’ is one of the most highly-anticipated tracks on In Waves. It’s also proof that the creative synergy between trio is unwavering, as Jamie’s pulsing production wrestles with Romy’s ethereal vocals. [4/5]
‘Baddy On The Floor’: Jamie links up with Honey Dijon for the bouncy ‘Baddy On The Floor’, which formed the first single from In Waves. It’s easy to see why – optimistic and summery, the song surely soundtracked some hazy memories this summer, though it’s not particularly out there for Jamie. [3.5/5]
‘Dafodil’ (ft. Kelsey Lu, John Glacier, and Panda Bear): Jamie amasses a star-studded lineup for ‘Dafodil’, one of the more subdued and more intriguing offerings on In Waves and the song that bolstered him to finally create another album. It’s dreamier and more drawn-out than much of the album, the sonic equivalent of that moment on a night out where you bask in how much you love your mates. [4/5]
‘Still Summer’: Our claims to summer may be quickly slipping away, but listening to ‘Still Summer’ makes it feel like we could hold on for a little while longer. Vocal samples blend into head-bopping instrumentation, plunging you back into the swing of the dancefloor after the more reflective ‘Dafodil’. [3.5/5]
‘Life’ (ft. Robyn): Jamie takes a nostalgia trip back to the late 2000s with ‘Life’, which feels like it was produced entirely for the resulting reality show sync opportunities. Pairing horns with invitations to “fuck it up tonight,” it feels like a less interesting version of Beyoncé’s ‘Honey’. [3/5]
‘The Feeling I Get From You’: Placed directly after ‘Life’, ‘The Feeling I Get From You’ feels like a reiteration of what Jamie XX does best: reflective electronica made up of layered vocal samples and almost melancholic keys. This song isn’t even the finest example of this, but it feels far more natural and interesting than tunes you’d expect to find soundtracking sugary shots at your local Revs. [3.5/5]
‘Breather’: Alternatively, In Waves thrives when Jamie leans entirely into club music with tracks like ‘Breather’. Despite the repeated reminders to “breathe,” the majority of this track’s runtime will leave you struggling to. It’s everything a club classic should be, pulsing and euphoric. [4.5/5]
‘All You Children’ (ft. The Avalanches): Jamie XX comes into his own once more on ‘All You Children’, linking up with the sampling pioneers themselves, The Avalanches. There are a couple of vocal samples that seem too powerful in the mix, but it still prospers in its intrinsic Jamie XX-ness. [4/5]
‘Every Single Weekend’ (Interlude): The penultimate track, a tiny interlude called ‘Every Single Weekend’, is another offering where Jamie seems a little more at home. It’s much sparser and gentler than most of the record, and more emotional as a result. The soundtrack to a wistful and grateful Uber home. [4/5]
‘Falling Together’: Jamie XX proves his understanding of emotional electronica one final time on ‘Falling Together’, which is led by a spoken word voice note he received from Oona Doherty. His production choices serve their weighty words, which cover time, space, regret, privilege, denial and, most importantly dance. [4/5]
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