Album Review: Washed Out - Within and Without

Rating: *** out of five.

Of the myriad sub-genre permutations bandying about the contemporary indie music landscape, it can be argued that the most aptly named just might be chillwave. On Within and Without, one-man-band Washed Out (Ernest Greene) unabashedly wears the aesthetics of this aural movement on his sleeve and fully embraces its key signifiers: airy vocals, casually danceable rhythms and pretty, synth-led melodies. While several key tracks such as the warm Soft and the late-night vibes of Before are carefully arranged and demand relistens to unearth their shimmering brilliance, many others easily slip into the background. Chillwave can do that sometimes.

-Mykael Sopher

Republished with permission from Uptown Magazine.