Visual Album Mister Mellow Out June 30 on Pod via Inertia Music
“Chillwave never left, it just evolved.”
Noisey
“’Hard To Say Goodbye’ explores the album’s central theme, Millennial
malaise, with a summery beat and synths. Who knew Millennial
malaise could be so fun, eh?”
DIY Magazine
“House-lite disco fusion flavour”
SPIN
“A house hybrid and late-night jam of the summer contender that will
sound absolutely massive in the club.”
Gorilla vs Bear on “Get Lost”
After announcing his forthcoming visual album Mister Mellow last week, out next Friday June 30on Pod via Inertia Music, Washed Out is back today to share new single, “Hard To Say Goodbye” from the release. Following in the footsteps of lead single “Get Lost“, the newly shared track is an upbeat, house-inspired track that further explores the album’s concept of Millennial malaise.
LISTEN TO “HARD TO SAY GOODBYE”
Watch the trailer for the immersive multimedia experience that is the forthcoming new album Mister Mellow released through Pod via Inertia Music. For the rest of the world, Mister Mellow is out through iconic hip-hop label Stones Throw.
Greene’s previously released stand out albums include 2011’s Within and Without which Pitchfork named Best New Music and Paracosm (2013), both albums produced with Animal Collective’s Ben Allen. His delicious woozy synth track, “Feel It All Around” became the theme song for for eccentric indie comedy series, Portlandia starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of alt-rock group, Sleater-Kinney.
Washed Out
Mister Mellow
1. Title Card
2. Burn Out Blues
3. Time Off
4. Floating By
5. I’ve Been Daydreaming My Entire Life
6. Hard to Say Goodbye
7. Down and Out
8. Instant Calm
9. Zonked
10. Get Lost
11. Easy Does It
12. Million Miles Away
Mister Mellow by Washed Out is out Friday June 30 on Pod via Inertia Music
Pre-order now: https://InertiaMusic.lnk.to/MisterMellow
For more information:
www.washedout.net
www.facebook.com/washed.out
www.instagram.com/realwashedout
www.twitter.com/realwashedout
ABOUT MISTER MELLOW
Boredom. Laziness. Complete apathy. Is it a quarter-life crisis or just an excuse to never grow up?
This is the world of Washed Out‘s (Ernest Greene) new album Mister Mellow. A fully immersive multimedia experience, the album playfully guides the listener through the highs and lows of this often ridiculous struggle. In classic Millennial fashion, most young adults’ perception of their own lives are overblown and overdramatized to the point of absurdity – as are the many ways they distract themselves from the insecurities faced on a daily basis (see social media, fantasy, drugs, music). Mister Mellow shines a light on the humor found in this paradox – how we can be so bored and unhappy in what is often a very privileged, contented life?
Further moving away from the synthesizer-driven sounds of his early work, Mister Mellow sees Greene moving towards more rebellious beat-driven sounds as he continues to carve out a unique sonic identity that stands in direct opposition to most current trends. Mister Mellow was influenced by classic plunderphonics records of the past as well as the experimental collage techniques of musique concrete. Styles as diverse as free jazz, house, hip-hop and psych are combined together with interludial voiceover samples (often pulled from anonymous Youtube vlogs) to create a busy, chaotic, and caricaturish mix; one that quickly starts to feel like a mirror of the claustrophobic, hyper-stimulated psyche of most young adults.
Released as an integral companion to Mister Mellow is a full length visual counterpart that utilises almost every form of animation (collage, claymation, hand-drawn, stop-motion). The aesthetic of each video reflects the handmade, “paint outside the lines” style of Greene’s music – and again is a reaction against the sterile, hyper-realistic renderings of most modern digital-based art. The rich, detailed patchwork that makes up Mister Mellow (and its visual accompaniment) is unique in this day of quick-fix, throwaway music-culture.
Conceived over the course of two years, it is intensely personal (Greene’s only collaborator was mix engineer Cole MGN) – but the ideas and observations found within the album speak to a much larger shared experience that is affecting an entire generation of young adults. An experience that we come to see as both funny and sad.
Featured Photo Credit: Alexandra Gavillet
