The Last Goodbye

In genre terms, the electronic duo ODESZA occupies a bit of a gray area: not quite dance music (too dense and cinematic for the club), but not quite pop or indie, either. Some have labeled the group’s sound “chill-bass,” which, though clunky, appropriately captures their hybrid sound—a mix of heady, meditative soundscapes (chirpy samples, airy chimes, and synths that almost sound like they’re breathing) with the explosive glitz and drama of main-stage EDM. Over the past decade, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight leaned hard into this niche and built a cult following, becoming the sort of rare electronic act that can carry a packed amphitheater. (Their shows have fireworks, drum lines, drone shows, and trippy visuals, all soundtracked by sweeping, emotional songs meant to take you on a journey.) Their ambitious fourth album *The Last Goodbye* doubles down on that maximalism, with guest stars (Ólafur Arnalds, Låpsley, The Knocks), vintage samples (Bettye LaVette’s soulful 1965 single “Let Me Down Easy” inspired the title track), and enough skittering dance-floor texture to tip each track into rave-able turf. Yet despite their danceable shape and percussive muscle, these songs are introspective at their core. The driving techno-pop cut “Wide Awake” featuring Charlie Houston is lonely and melancholic, with lyrics about standing alone at a party submerged in your own emotions (“I hate the way it hurts breathing/Thought that I could put these feelings aside,” she sings). That comforting combination of loneliness and togetherness—a hallmark of live music, and dance music in particular—could be the centerpiece for *The Last Goodbye* and the ODESZA experience as a whole: Nostalgic, yearning, sentimental songs about getting lost in your own feelings can be soothing with 20,000 strangers dancing by your side.

ODESZA announces their fourth album: ‘The Last Goodbye’ which will be released July 22 via Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune. Symphonic, vast, and emotionally stirring, ‘The Last Goodbye’ is set to be the GRAMMY-nominated duo’s most ambitious album to date. A project rife with brightness and emotion, nostalgic yet rooted in the present, it serves as a sweeping sonic experience that speaks to themes of connection, reminiscence and the impact we impart on one another. It’s a vivid celebration of the people and moments that have left fingerprints on our existence, echoing throughout the record. As the duo’s most personal record to date, it’s a brilliant collection which looks to interweave the past and the present in a euphoric way. “Over the past few years we’ve been able to reflect on who we are, what it means to do what we do, and in the end, who we are doing this for,” said ODESZA about the forthcoming album. “We became focused and inspired by the impact our families and friends have imprinted on us, and how we want to continue to echo that out as we move through this life. We found comfort in the fact that those who we love stay with us, that they become intrinsically part of us, in a way.” In tandem, the latest single of the project “Love Letter (feat. The Knocks)”, is out now – a dynamic, emotive vocal refrain that serves as a personal proclamation, speeding amongst curtains of orchestral synths. The track joins previous singles “The Last Goodbye (feat. Bettye LaVette)" and “Better Now (feat. MARO)” to showcase an initial taste of the breadth of the record, which Mills & Knight masterfully thread together – to create this expansive, yet seamless cohesion found on the forthcoming full-length LP. “This song has had a wild ride!” said The Knocks about “Love Letter”. “It was originally started about 5 years ago and went through many versions before ODESZA took it to its final form. We always knew there was something really special about it. It was one of those ideas we kept coming back to and being frustrated by because we knew it was amazing but we couldn't get it totally right. This new version blew our minds and we felt like it had finally found its rightful home. The rest is history.” ODESZA added “The Knocks sent us an incredible demo that we were immediately drawn to. Once we started writing for the new record we rediscovered the song and felt like it embodied much of the sound we were looking for. Over the next couple of months we worked to develop the track to its current form. Inspired by the late 90’s and early 2000’s electronic scene, we went about trying to craft something that felt both timeless and modern.” In addition to The Knocks, Bettye LaVette & MARO, ‘The Last Goodbye’ will also feature collaborators Låpsley, Ólafur Arnolds, Julianna Barwick, Izzy Bizu, & Charlie Houston. This batch of collabs follows high profile previous musical partnerships with Leon Bridges, Little Dragon, Regina Spektor, RY X and more. Recently, ODESZA announced “The Return” – their first live shows in three years, which will aptly take place at their hometown Seattle’s Pledge Climate Arena for a sold-out three night run (July 29th – 31st). “The Last Goodbye” (feat. Bettye LaVette) and “Better Now” (feat. MARO) dropped earlier this year to acclaim from Billboard who called the former, “a sleek, propulsive stunner” and the NY Times who said it “brings some Slavic melancholy to four-on-the-floor dance music, samples the most heart-rending phrases of LaVette’s vocals and stretches out the anguish, proving again how classic the song remains”. The release a few weeks later of “Better Now” led Dancing Astronaut to proclaim “while there was no question about it before, we’re truly in ODESZA season”.

On their first album in five years, Odesza are at their most introspective, yet their production remains tailored to fill stadiums and trigger pyrotechnics.

AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.

After five years, the icosahedron is ready to descend one more time, but is there ever really a last goodbye? If you're asking Seattle-based...

Electronic music is perhaps at its most transcendent when it successfully communicates a feeling or emotion that we would otherwise find difficult

ODESZA's 'The Last Goodbye' is impressively diverse and wide-ranging; there are moments of elysian pop, broody angst, thrilling dance, and smart wit.

Enter The Last Goodbye, Odesza’s most anticipated record to date, arriving a long five years after the bar-setting A Moment Apart.