It’s mildly humorous that a production duo from Seattle would have a hit song by the name of “Sun Models.” Western Washington alumni Harrison Mills (aka
Catacombkid) and partner Clayton Knight (
BeachesBeaches) make up
Odesza, the pair that’s accumulated almost five million SoundCloud streams in the two years they’ve existed. They’ve also been getting their fair share of radio play, and when I was visiting my native Washington State, I heard their latest single on the taste-making airwaves of KEXP.
“Sun Models,” which is fresh off of Odesza’s 2014 album of the same name, is a beachy and blissful track that I assume will be played throughout the summer months. It opens with the warm crackling of a dust caked record, as well as a few chicken-pecked keys peppering in a dull, tinny drum effect. The vocals, provided by Michigan soul singer Madelyn Grant, register as a languid ripple through still water. They are nearly recognizable as words, but morph into liquefied croons thanks to the shrill frequency of the vocoder. I can’t help but notice the proximity to the vocal manipulations of Grimes mastermind Claire Boucher.
The song is danceable without a doubt, but not in an aggressive way. It’s a relaxed track that drifts somewhere between melancholic and bright. Smears of twinkling keys glide over a crescendo of strobe-worthy synths of the European House ilk, while eerie calls float in and out.
In response to their ever-growing exposure, Odesza has kicked off a massive U.S. tour that will go into May. The pair have added a couple of Canadian dates for our friends up north.
Check out “Sun Models” and dates below:
Wed. Feb. 12 - Pawtucket, RI @ The Met *
Thu. Feb. 13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts *
Fri. Feb. 14 - New York, NY @ Best Buy Theater *^
Sat. Feb. 15 - Boston, MA @ Paradise *
Sun. Feb. 16 - Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage Baltimore *
Tue. Feb. 18 - Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho Theater *
Wed. Feb. 19 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre *
Thu. Feb. 20 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
Fri. Feb. 21 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West *
Sat. Feb. 22 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
Thu. March 13 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
Fri. March 14 - Bozeman, MT @ Zebra Cocktail Lounge
Sat. March 15 - Missoula, MT @ Palace Billiards
Fri. March 21 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
Sat. March 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge %
Sun. March 23 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Tue. March 25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
Thu. March 27 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's #
Fri. March 28 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada #
Sat. March 29 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Jr #
Tue. April 1 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room #
Wed. April 2 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah #
Thu. April 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex #
Fri. April 4 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent # (SOLD OUT)
Sat. April 5 - Arcata, CA @ The Jambalaya #
Sun. April 6 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall #
Wed. April 9 - Victoria, BC @ Club 9one9 #
Thu. April 10 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue #
Fri. April 11 - Portland, OR @ Holocene #
Sat. April 12 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos #
Fri. May 9 - Toronto, ON @ Tattoo (Canadian Music Week)
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