The year was 2009 and I was just starting my university. I moved to a big city and started exploring subcultures and listening to the subgenres that were not prominent in Belgrade’s scene. Around that time, I have met my first boyfriend and as it goes on first dates, you try to detect whether your interests are compatible (it wasn’t until later in my life that I have realized interests should be complementary and not necessarily compatible). We knew we were going to be together when we found shared interest in Washed Out.
Washed Out’s debut was bedroom pop electronic every alternative young gay boy dreams about. Even though Within and Without was not groundbreaking by any terms, it started off a tiny movement that included some other chill electronic acts such as Memory Tapes and a bit more upbeat bands such as Miami Horror. What still strikes me about Within and Without is its anachronic faculty. Whenever I play this record, it sounds like it just came out. It is hipster’s wet dream, so it comes as no surprise that Washed Out’s track I Feel Alright was used as a theme song for satire show Portlandia.
Washed Out’s debut unfolded with Eyes Be Closed, a mellow synth-driven number that set the tone for the whole material. Mature lyrics and silky vocal filtered through reasonable dose of autotune made the opening track one of the Washed Out’s signature songs. My personal favorite is Amor Fati, but just because this was one of the songs on my “first kiss” compilation. Washed Out’s skill to create intersection of chill electronic and pop permeates every track, from Echoes to A Dedication. This ability shows its full shine on Far Away, viciously melancholic slow burning jam that sounds like a downtempo brother of Death Cab For Cutie’s Transatlanticism, mainly due to the similarities in theme.
I hope this week’s throwback is going to inspire someone’s first kiss.
