Odesza – A Moment Apart
Odesza blurs the lines between indie pop and EDM. Their newest offering, A Moment Apart does more of the same, but adds new elements to stay fresh. This is the duo’s third album, but it’s their second one since their breakout album, In Return. That album is home to songs like, ‘Sun Models’ and ‘Say My Name’. Songs like those have solidified Odesza as festival headliners for the past few years. A Moment Apart builds upon it’s predecessor, but still offers more of the same signature Odesza sound.
Before the release of A Moment Apart, Odesza released five singles. The singles include: ‘Line of Sight’, ‘Late Night’, ‘Meridian’, ‘Corners Of The Earth’, and ‘Higher Ground’. The singles are a baseline for what the rest of the album sounds like. Because the rest of the album doesn’t deviate too far from the Odesza formula. Furthermore, I think that the best songs on the album are from the singles. As a fan, I’m glad that Odesza released so much music before the release of A Moment Apart, but it hurts the overall flow of the album when a third of the album has already been released.
A Moment Apart starts strong, but it isn’t able to keep the energy all the way through. The first half of the album kept me engaged with a nice variety of new sounds and dynamics. But towards the second half, it breaks down a bit and failed to keep me engaged. After ‘Across The Room’ – the soulful collaboration between Odesza and Leon Bridges – the album falls short on surprises.
The biggest strength on this album is Odesza’s ability to weave melodic and vocal performances. If there’s no vocalist present on the track, Odesza loves to insert angelic vocal snippets that give tracks a new layer. ‘Boy’, my favorite non-single track, is a good example of this. It features a simple kick drum beat, beautiful melodies, and an angelic voice snippet full of “oohs and ahhs”. Although the song has no vocalist, Odesza is able to create such beautiful soundscapes that can soundtrack just about any vacation montage.
All in all, the album is a welcome addition to Odesza’s catalog. If you’re looking for more of the same great sound that has skyrocketed Odesza to the top, you won’t be disappointed. But, if you’re looking for Odesza to take a turn and try something drastically different, you won’t find that here.
