Artist: Washed Out

Released: 7/12

Label: Sub-Pop

It’s an album that begs to be listened to.  With its non-abrasive synths and laid-back feel, Washed Out’s “Within and Without” warrants that its audience rinse and repeat.

Earnest Greene, a.k.a. Washed Out, is an Atlanta-based one-man production who is hard to pin down to one genre.  ‘80s synth and hip-hop suffuse this lo-fi work without picking one side or the other.  Even the artist’s name perfectly describes his music’s feel.

Thick and textured sounds, like the track “Amor Fati,” offer subtle hooks that don’t distract from the overall feel of the song.  It’s music whose full and deep body pleases listeners through both high and low frequencies.

The track “Before” provides that familiar feeling of floating in the rolling ocean that pervades much of his music while ensnaring you with an unrecognizable, yet determined hook.

With two successful EPs to his name, Washed Out’s first LP, “Within and Without,” is bound to please and to be played again.