One of the releases I was looking forward to a lot this year was Washed Out’s Within and Without. I liked High Times, and Life of Leisure was even better. Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe I thought that “chillwave” was only supposed to sound a certain way. Whatever the reason, this new record doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Not to say that it’s bad, because it’s still an enjoyable listen. But there isn’t as much groove or upbeat feeling, something that a song like “You’ll See It” easily had in spades. Even the midtempo offerings aren’t as funky as a “Feel It All Around” or “Luck.”
Overall, the addition of regular piano tracks on the last few songs sort of go against the atmosphere of the early songs, and the second half is very slow in general. Still, there are a few tracks worth listening to at least once, like “Echoes” and “Far Away.” And if you like Washed Out’s vocal work, this new album won’t disappoint.
I give it 3 Halls out of 5 Oates.
