Today, Jamie xx releases his hotly-anticipated new album In Waves via Young. This acclaimed album—which arrived nine years on from his GRAMMY, BRIT, Ivor Novello and Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut album In Colour—sees Jamie replicating the emotional crescendos and thrilling volatility of an almost mystical night out. Created over a four year period ushered in by his much-loved 2020 Essential Mix, and peppered with periods of self-reflection, a global pandemic, the blinking reemergence into the strobe light, and a newly discovered love of surfing-as-escapism, it’s an album that’s on course to eclipse the heights of its globally-acclaimed predecessor.
In April, Jamie released “Baddy On The Floor”, his joyous summer collaboration with Honey Dijon, before heralding news of the album in June with the riotous “Treat Each Other Right”; a muscular breakbeat anthem-meets-futuristic soul burner that was accompanied by a much-talked about video from photographer and filmmaker Rosie Marks. In June, he collaborated with Robyn on her first major new release in six years with “Life”, a hymn as nu-disco affirmation that arrived in a blaze of horns and filtered loops, featuring one of the most iconic vocalists in recent times. This week, he reunited with The xx’s Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft for “Waited All Night”, a piece of 2-step pop perfection featuring the three bandmates on record for the first time since The xx’s 2017 I See You album. Together with recent collaborative tracks with The Avalanches (“All You Children”) and Kelsey Lu, Panda Bear and John Glacier (“Dafodil”), the singles gave fans a glimpse into the joyous, euphoric record that they can now hear in full for the first time.
In Waves will be available digitally, on CD and in multiple vinyl formats, A Deluxe LP will feature a bonus 12” of previous singles “It’s So Good”, “KILL DEM” and “LET’S DO IT AGAIN” plus two exclusive new tracks: “F U (ft. Erykah Badu)” and “Do Something”
Jamie xx’s long-awaited return has unfolded across a series of exciting global events over the few months. At the unveiling of The Floor in May—a 10-consecutive night London club residency that also featured unannounced guest appearances from Charlil xcx and George Daniel, Romy, Daphni, 2ManyDJs, John Glacier, Jockstrap, Axel Boman, Two Shell, Yu Su, Lil Silva, MJ Cole, DJ Python and more—Jamie previewed every track from In Waves.
Since then, Jamie has expanded The Floor into the USA, with 5 night residencies in New York and LA respectively. The event series saw Jamie xx joined by the likes of Four Tet, Hudson Mohawke, Ben UFO, François K, Anthony Naples, Bambii, John FM, Bianca Oblivion, Mia Carucci, Jubilee, Florentino, Nourished By Time, Sister Zo, and more. Next week Jamie headlines two sold out hometown shows at London’s Alexandra Palace (25th and 26th September) ahead of an autumn of busy touring. Full dates below and full details via https://jamiexx.com/tour/
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