Odesza - The Last Goodbye (2LP) - Mint Green Opaque Vinyl

ODESZA’s The Last Goodbye lands like a memory you can dance to. It is a record about holding on and letting go, but it never feels maudlin. Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight have always had a knack for turning small melodic ideas into widescreen scenes, and here they fold that instinct into something richer, powered by voices that feel dug up from a collective past. The title track sets the tone by threading Bettye LaVette’s 1965 soul classic Let Me Down Easy through a modern, chest‑rattling arrangement. Hearing LaVette’s voice lifted and looped against those glassy synths is a jolt, the kind of respectful sample work that introduces a new generation to a legend while giving long‑time soul fans a reason to grin.

Across the album’s 2022 run of singles, they made it clear this wasn’t just a producer’s showcase. ODESZA let vocalists take the lead, then build cathedrals of rhythm around them. Julianna Barwick opens the record on This Version of You, her choral wash floating over ticking percussion that feels like a clock tucked inside a dream. Låpsley brings a cool ache to Equal, and the duo leave the right amount of space for her phrasing to bloom. Better Now pairs their sunrise‑pop instincts with MARO’s featherlight delivery, and it might be the most purely satisfying hook on the record. The Knocks show up on Love Letter for a bittersweet, big‑room rush that still has those little finger‑snap details ODESZA obsess over.

There is plenty here for the instrumental diehards too. North Garden is a crisp palate cleanser, all patient arpeggios and airborne pads, and Healing Grid hums with the kind of granular texture that rewards headphones. Behind the Sun is the stealth standout, built around a striking vocal sample that pulls from older traditions and threads them through a cinematic breakbeat. The way they sculpt the low end on that track is a reminder of how tactile ODESZA’s mixes have become. Nothing is muddy, yet the kick still hits like a live drumline, a nod to the way they’ve evolved the stage show alongside the studio craft.

The record’s weight isn’t only sonic. Mills and Knight talked in interviews about memory, family, and cycles, and you can hear that in how themes return. Melodies echo across tracks, rhythms mirror each other with slight changes, like photographs reprinted in different light. It gives The Last Goodbye the feel of a proper album, not a playlist of singles. That cohesion likely helped it travel so far with both casual listeners and critics, and it culminated in a nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 65th Grammy Awards. For a duo that started in Bellingham and built their own Foreign Family Collective from the ground up, that kind of recognition feels earned.

If you already love ODESZA, this one scratches the same itch as A Moment Apart, but it is brighter at the edges and more generous with its guests. If you’re new, it is a clean entry point. Drop the needle and you’ll get the whole map of what they do well, from the orchestral swells to the street‑level drum programming. I first heard the title track in a shop in Fitzroy while flicking through a crate of local 12‑inches, and it stopped me cold enough to ask the clerk what was spinning. That moment is baked into the grooves for me now, and it is part of why The Last Goodbye vinyl has quietly become a favourite recommendation when someone asks for something big and heartfelt that still feels personal.

For collectors, the ODESZA vinyl catalogue tends to sell quick, and this one is no different. If you prefer to buy ODESZA records online, you will find plenty of variants floating around, but any clean pressing will do justice to the low end and those choral highs. ODESZA albums on vinyl also reward a front to back listen, and this sequence is especially strong, closing with Light of Day in a glow that lingers after the record stops. If you are browsing vinyl records Australia wide or wandering into a Melbourne record store on a rainy arvo, it is worth hunting down a copy. The production is polished, yes, but it never loses the human pulse that makes these songs stick. In a year crowded with dance albums aiming for maximum impact, The Last Goodbye opts for emotional clarity, and that choice gives it a staying power you can feel in your chest.