For Ernest Greene – AKA Washed Out – the titular reference to a gentler existence was sincere; having moved from Atlanta to a former horse ranch in the wide open spaces following the pandemic, chillwave’s reluctant former mainstay was hoping it seemed for a more pastoral existence away from the spotlight.
That’s still a possibility, but typical of the nano-beefs which flare up in our mutual blurred realities, not before his use of AI to create the video for The Hardest Part earned him some typically over the top shade from a handful of people who shot first and listened much later.
Irony is forever our soulmate these days and as it turned out The Hardest Part was hardly sturdy enough to carry such metaphysical weight, in of itself a cheesy synth pop ballad that had nothing serious to it. Indeed, Notes From A Quiet Life was much more notable for being a sophisticated, country mile from Washed Out’s early material, especially via Got Your Back and Running Away. At it’s best on closer Letting Go and Wait On You’s bled out alt.R&B, it’s a record which asks few questions and will in time be probably end up being more famous for it’s associated storm in an algorithm.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 