The Last Goodbye (album)

The Last Goodbye is the fourth studio album by the American electronic music duo Odesza, released on July 22, 2022 through Ninja Tune and Foreign Family Collective.[1] It is the duo's first studio album in five years, after A Moment Apart.

The Last Goodbye
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 22, 2022
Length50:32
Label
Producer
Odesza chronology
Bronson
(2020)
The Last Goodbye
(2022)
Flaws in Our Design
(2023)
Odesza albums chronology
A Moment Apart
(2017)
The Last Goodbye
(2022)
Singles from The Last Goodbye
  1. "The Last Goodbye"
    Released: February 8, 2022
  2. "Better Now"
    Released: March 2, 2022
  3. "Love Letter"
    Released: March 23, 2022
  4. "Behind the Sun"
    Released: April 26, 2022
  5. "Wide Awake"
    Released: June 8, 2022
  6. "Light of Day"
    Released: July 13, 2022

The duo teased new music at the beginning of 2022 through social media.[2] The first single, "The Last Goodbye", was released as the lead single in February 2022. The second single, "Better Now", was released in March. Following the album's announcement later that month, "Love Letter" was released as the third single. "Behind The Sun" was released as the fourth single in April. "Wide Awake" was released as the fifth single in June. "Light Of Day" was released as the final single in July. The album features contributions from Julianna Barwick, Charlie Houston, Izzy Bizu, Maro, Bettye LaVette, Låpsley, and Ólafur Arnalds.

The album received positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its production values and emotional tone. The album was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for the 65th Grammy Awards.[3]

Background

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Along with the album's announcement in March 2022, the duo released a statement behind the creation of the album: "Over the past few years we’ve been able to reflect on who we are, what it means to do what we do, and in the end, who we are doing this for. We became focused and inspired by the impact our families and friends have imprinted on us and how we want to continue to echo that out as we move through this life. We found comfort in the fact that those who we love stay with us, that they become intrinsically part of us, in a way."[4][5]

Promotion

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Multimedia

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The duo teased new music in January 2022 through social media.[2] In February 2022, the duo launched a campaign titled "Welcome to The Last Goodbye." It consisted of unreleased audio snippets and video footage of Mills and Knight's childhood years that were generated through fans typing a given password into the duo's microsite.[6][7]

Singles and music videos

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On February 8, 2022, "The Last Goodbye", featuring Bettye LaVette, was released as the lead single from the album.[8] The music video for the single was released the following week.[9] The second single, "Better Now", featuring Maro, was released on March 2.[10] Its music video was later released on April 19.[11] With the announcement of The Last Goodbye on March 23, "Love Letter", featuring The Knocks, was released as the third single from the album.[12] A music video, starring Simone Ashley, was premiered after the album's release, on August 4.[13] The fourth single, "Behind the Sun", was released on April 26, alongside a music video.[14] "Wide Awake", featuring Charlie Houston, was released on June 8 as the fifth single.[15] "Light Of Day", featuring Ólafur Arnalds, was released on July 13 as the sixth and final single.[16]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [17]
Clash7/10[18]
Exclaim!8/10[19]
Pitchfork5.8/10[20]

The Last Goodbye received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards the album's production values and emotional tone. It has an assigned normalized rating of 73 out of 100 based on 4 critical reviews, indicating 'generally favorable reviews' from review aggregator Metacritic.[21]

Paul Simpson of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating it as a "definite improvement over A Moment Apart" and describing the tracks as "bigger and more anthemic."[17] Allie Gregory, reviewing for Exclaim!, also gave a positive review, commenting on the album's "varied components coming together to form a cohesive unit."[19] Kieran Macdonald-Brown of Clash Music also praised the album's emotional and poignant tone, whilst describing the album as a "cinematic body of work that triumphs in its ability to meld a plethora of electronic styles together."[18]

Daniel Bromfield of Pitchfork was more critical of the album, commenting that "the constant malaise keeps the[se] songs from generating the ridiculous, heart-swelling feeling of transcendence that the best big-room dance music can achieve."[20]

Track listing

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The Last Goodbye track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Version of You" (featuring Julianna Barwick)2:51
2."Wide Awake" (featuring Charlie Houston)
3:35
3."Love Letter" (featuring the Knocks)4:13
4."Behind the Sun" 4:10
5."Forgive Me" (featuring Izzy Bizu)
3:28
6."North Garden"
3:00
7."Better Now" (featuring Maro)3:14
8."The Last Goodbye" (featuring Bettye LaVette)
5:58
9."All My Life"3:12
10."Equal" (featuring Låpsley)
3:53
11."Healing Grid" 3:06
12."I Can't Sleep" 3:07
13."Light of Day" (featuring Ólafur Arnalds)
  • Knight
  • Mills
  • Arnalds
6:40
Total length:50:32
Deluxe edition (disc 2) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hopeful" 4:08
2."To Be Yours" (featuring Claud) 3:31
3."All We Need" (featuring Shy Girls; VIP remix)
3:30
4."Sun Models" (featuring Madelyn Grant; VIP remix)
  • Knight
  • Mills
  • Grant
3:55

Notes

Personnel

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Odesza

  • Harrison Mills – production, engineering (all tracks); vocals (track 11), creative direction, cover design
  • Clayton Knight – production, engineering (all tracks), string arrangement (1, 4), French horn arrangement (4)

Additional musicians

  • Tracy Barrett Adams – spoken word (1)
  • Julianna Barwick – vocals (1)
  • Rory Andrew – string arrangement (1)
  • Edgar Sandoval – strings (1)
  • Charlie Houston – vocals (2)
  • James Patterson – vocals (3)
  • Ross Clark – guitar (3)
  • Sérgio Wagner – French horn (4)
  • Izzy Bizu – vocals (5)
  • Mark Hunter – bass guitar (5, 8)
  • Maro – vocals (7)
  • Bettye LaVette – vocals (8)
  • Richard Adlam – keyboards, programming (8)
  • Hal Ritson – keyboards, programming (8)
  • Låpsley – vocals (10)
  • St. South – vocals (12)
  • Paulina Drucker – vocals (12)

Technical

  • Matt Coltonmastering
  • Eric J Dubowskymixing
  • James Patterson – production (3)
  • Ben Ruttner – production (3)
  • Ólafur Arnalds – production (13)
  • Kaelyn Behr – additional production (3)
  • Richard Adlam – additional production (8)
  • Hal Riston – additional production (8)
  • Tancrede Rouff – vocal production (5)
  • Steph Marziano – vocal production (10)
  • Pablo Hopenhayn – string production (4)
  • Chris Stiliadis – engineering (2)
  • Rory Andrew – string engineering (1)

Visuals

  • Michelle Gadeken – creative direction, design, cover design, layout
  • Reed Juenger – creative direction, design, cover design, layout
  • Alexander Babarikin – photography

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "ODESZA Announces New Album: 'The Last Goodbye', Out July 22". Shore Fire Media. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Odesza [@odesza] (January 1, 2022). "💫 2 ⬡ 2 2 💫" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Bain, Katie (November 15, 2022). "ODESZA, Diplo, RÜFÜS DU SOL & Beyoncé Lead 2023 Dance/Electronic Grammy Nominations". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Gilmore, Grant (March 23, 2022). "ODESZA Officially Announces 'The Last Goodbye' with Latest Single". EDM Identity. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Heffler, Jason (March 23, 2022). "ODESZA Announce Release Date of New Album, "The Last Goodbye"". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Odesza [@odesza] (February 3, 2022). "password: tlg" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "ODESZA Release Cryptic New Teaser With An Audio Snippet Titled "Is There Ever A Last Goodbye?"". T.H.E - Music Essentials. February 5, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Longhurst, Courtney (February 9, 2022). "After Two Years, ODESZA Finally Returns with 'The Last Goodbye'". EDMTunes. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Watch ODESZA's New Music Video for "The Last Goodbye"". This Song Is Sick. February 17, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Heffler, Jason (March 2, 2022). "Listen to ODESZA's Stunning New Single, "Better Now"". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  11. ^ "ODESZA Drop New Music Video for "Better Now"". This Song Is Sick. April 19, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "ODESZA Release Next Album Single "Love Letter" w/ The Knocks, Announce Release Date". Your EDM. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Simone Ashley Goes Full Karate Kid in New Music Video". Teen Vogue. August 4, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Heffler, Jason (April 26, 2022). "The Road to ODESZA's Fourth Album Continues With Haunting Single, "Behind The Sun": Listen". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  15. ^ Heffler, Jason (June 8, 2022). "ODESZA Drop Haunting Single From Upcoming Fourth Album: Listen to "Wide Awake"". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Heffler, Jason (July 13, 2022). "ODESZA and Ólafur Arnalds Captivate In Final "The Last Goodbye" Album Single: Listen to "Light of Day"". EDM.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "The Last Goodbye - ODESZA". Allmusic. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Macdonald-Brown, Kieran (July 22, 2022). "ODESZA - The Last Goodbye". Clash. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Gregory, Allie (July 22, 2022). "ODESZA Dance Themselves Clean on 'The Last Goodbye'". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Bromfield, Daniel (July 27, 2022). "Odesza: The Last Goodbye Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for A Moment Apart by ODESZA". Metacritic. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  22. ^ Odesza [@odesza] (July 25, 2022). "4 - Behind the Sun: The vocal sample is originally from the Iranian singer Simin Ghanem's song Sib. Her vocal is so powerful we wanted to make an instrumental that matched the energy of her voice by layering in big orchestral pieces and massive drums" (Tweet). Retrieved January 19, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ LaCroix, Ryan (November 17, 2022). "Grammy nominations include Oklahoma musicians Reba McEntire, Zach Bryan & more". KOSU. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (February 8, 2022). "Odesza and Bettye LaVette Share New Song "The Last Goodbye": Listen". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  25. ^ Heidt, Dustin (September 19, 2022). "ODESZA offers last album preview with glorious new track 'Light of Day'". Variance. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Odesza – The Last Goodbye" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  28. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Odesza – The Last Goodbye" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Odesza – The Last Goodbye". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  34. ^ "Odesza Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  35. ^ "Odesza Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  36. ^ "Odesza Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  37. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2023.