2010’s Passive Me, Aggressive You was a breakthrough album - a snapshot that framed adolescence in vibrant colour and clarity. It possessed an attitude of youthful celebration and rebellion – a sentiment that emerges strongly on In Rolling Waves. Once again striking the perfect balance between electronic and organic instrumentation, The Naked and Famous has produced 12 hauntingly beautiful tracks that elevate and inspire.
Produced in LA by band members Thom Powers and Aaron Short, In Rolling Waves was kept largely in-band – excepting additional production value brought by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (NIN, M83) on two tracks. Written with the intention of performing the songs “live” authentically, the album never feels crowded with overproduction – on the contrary it retains a spacious and human quality. As with the debut, vocal duties are shared fairly evenly by couple Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers – their voices well suited and supportive of one another.
While In Rolling Waves may not enjoy the pulling power of singles like ‘Young Blood’, it’s a strong album from start to finish, cohesive and worthy of multiple spins. Like TNAF’s debut, the sound is neither light nor dark, choosing rather to fall gracefully in the middle – it’s timeless, it’s emotional and once again, it works.
