Mister Mellow - Washed Out Album Review

I’ve been a fan of Washed Out for awhile now. I was very excited for them to release new music as they haven’t put any real album in a very long time (since 2013 Paracosm). I’ve enjoyed watching their chillwave sound journey from ambient to california beach feel to a little bit more like a soundscape. This new album is a step into a new sound space featuring some low-fi samples, hip-hop beats, and overall this retro-electronic vibe.

In true Washed Out style, the songs flow seamlessly into each other, making you feel like the album is one long song, with different pops of color and flavors of sound. Also in true Washed Out style, you can’t really understand what they are saying. But who cares, the harmonies and soft vocals are part of the appeal of the band. Making you constantly feel like you're in a dream state of the aesthetic they have created. Which brings me to the album name. Mister Mellow is the perfect title for this album encapsulating really everything this albums serves in sound and vibes.

The only thing I dislike about the album, is how short it is, coming in at a total of 29 minutes with 12 songs. Most of the songs on the album are under 2 minutes. But pair that we the fact that they produced video to go along with the album, it can easily be forgiven. The CD came with both the DVD and the CD.

I’m not exactly a film expert, but the DVD that goes along with the album is exactly what i expected. Full of color and moving psychedelic images. Each song was directed by someone different, but yet it doesn't show it still feels very whole. The first few songs are the expected weirdness, but after that it blends itself into a really cool moving art piece that feels a lot calmer. The best little video was “I’ve Been Daydreaming My Entire Life” as it had photos of Ernest Greene from out his life blured out with color. The whole visual journey of the album was very well done, and add an amazing layer to the spirit of the album as a whole.

Best Tracks: Floating By, I’ve Been Daydreaming My Entire Life, Hard to Say Goodbye,