Rambling into noise.

Almost ten years on from his debut solo release, Jamie xx’s second album, In Waves, brings with it a more club-focussed evolution than its critically acclaimed younger sibling, In Colour. It’s a more polished product, with less of the genre-hopping and experimentative nature which made In Colour so interesting. Nothing sums this up better than the two album names and artworks, which perfectly encapsulate each record: a circle of colour compared to a hypnotic black and white linework illusion.

Album opener Wanna samples two UK dance classics, in Double 99’s Ripgroove and Tina Moore’s Never Gonna Let You Go. It’s propped up nicely with a simple but effective imposing piano, which is introduced by a cleverly placed reverbing klaxon. This effect is a clever touch, and neatly but explicitly sets out the album’s intentions as a devotion to UK dance.

The transition into Treat Each Other Right instantly elevates the energy and flings us into a high-energy lively dance track, which plays with tempo, dynamics and pitches in a busy few minutes. Waited All Night reunites Jamie with his The xx bandmates, in a simpler but incredibly catchy track. Their chemistry is very much alive. It’s one of the more straightforward pieces on the record, but the verses from Romy and Oliver Sim definitely make it a highlight.

The list of featured artists only grows, as we progress through Baddy on the Floor and Dafodil, which feature contributions from Honey Dijon, Kelsey Lu, John Glacier and Panda Bear. Both tracks are clearly written with the dancefloor at their very core, with lyricism exploring the magic of, and connecting through, dance music. Dafodil in particular is a beautiful composition and is produced excellently, blending its featured artists and heavy use of samples cleanly and tastefully. If there is one thing Jamie xx has in abundance, it’s a brilliant taste in music.

Still Summer, one of the album’s instrumental tracks, keeps things flowing into the big hitting, blissful Life, featuring vocalist Robyn set against a strikingly euphoric instrumental background. This marks the end of Side 1, and you can tell, which only adds to the record’s feel, sound and flow as a polished and well-crafted production.

The Feeling I Get From You slows the pace, and is perfectly placed to ready the floor for Breather, which takes you on a journey across an immense rhythmic landscape; it’s an unequivocal epic and a moment which surprisingly makes you want to stop dancing, and just listen to its brilliance.

The Avalanches feature on All You Children, before the album closes out with Falling Together and the poetry of Oona Doherty. It’s a self-aware, almost scary end to the album, with its existential-crisis inducing lyrics, but you definitely get the message, and it is a beautiful and poignant one.

Each and every song explores the beauty of dancing and club culture, alongside Jamie’s outlook on music, life and what truly matters. Whilst In Waves certainly demonstrates a contrast to In Colour in terms of its sense of identity, it shares the same core essence, and feels like a fitting and natural continuation, whilst retaining the intrinsic elements which make all of Jamie’s music so infectious and special.