Washington-based electronic duo Odesza have released a music video for their new single “The Last Goodbye”, a hypnotic dance tune that marks their first non-collaborative original music release in four years. The single is available via all streaming services, and the music video can be viewed at the link below.
The video is directed by Sean Kusanagi, and depicts Odesza performing in a moody, darkened room. The clear focal point of the video is the instrumentation in the music; Odesza’s Clayton Knight and Harrison Mills are seen playing synthesisers and guitars, and are also joined by Eva Walker and Garret Hopper on bass and drums respectively. The visually stunning, cinematic video also features archival footage of Bettye LaVette performing “Let Me Down Easy”, the song from which the soaring, emotive vocal line is sampled from.
“The Last Goodbye” marks an impressive return for Odesza, having accumulated over four million streams on worldwide streaming platforms in just a week. The song strikes a delightful balance between ethereal, thoughtful soundscapes and pulsing, danceable beats throughout. The song commences with a soft, breathy synthesiser and piano that gently tiptoes in the background, as Bettye LaVette’s soulful voice croons out; “Let me down easy, though your love for me is gone”, before breaking into a feverish, rippling beat drop as the LaVette can be heard belting over the top. This hypnotic, driving beat is complimented by a grooving, overdriven bass guitar part that enters around the halfway point, which provides a real earworm in place of the vocal sample.
According to Pitchfork, Odesza said of the recently released song: “This song was born out of the concept of trying to bring these lasting, defining musical pieces like the 1965 release of ‘Let Me Down Easy’ by Bettye LaVette into a modern and contemporary electronic setting…The idea of bringing two worlds together, that at first seem distant, has always been something we’ve been drawn to. It was an absolute honor to be able to work with Bettye’s voice over the course of writing the track. She’s able to convey emotion with her vocal work unlike any other. To date, this has been one of the more fulfilling songs we’ve had the chance to work on as artists. We hope everyone who listens enjoys the track as much as we did making it.”
Odesza’s last sole release as a duo was 2017’s A Moment Apart, an album that saw Knight and Mills collaborating with a number of different artists such as singer Regina Spektor and soul singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, to name just two. In 2020, the group released an album with Australian producer Golden Features, entitled Bronson, although this was an entirely collaborative effort, with creative duties shared throughout the record. You can find Odesza’s musical catalogue on all available streaming services, and links to their music and various socials are available via the duo’s website.
