Hot on the heels of artists like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, and Memory Tapes comes Washed Out, who has already left his footprints in the sands nearby half a dozen tastemakers' secret holiday hangouts. Washed Out - AKA Ernest Greene of Columbia, South Carolina - belongs to the current movement of young adult musicians funneling their blissful and blurry VHS childhood memories of 80s synth-pop into their laptop-centered bedroom studios. Despite belonging to one of the most appallingly-titled genres of all time ("glo-fi"? really?), you definitely don't want to miss out on some of the shiniest pop gems in ages.
Washed Out might be best described as the fuzzy sound and reverb-laden dreamy vocal delivery of My Bloody Valentine paired with neo-italo disco noir à la Chromatics, chopped and screwed in a blender with magic mushrooms and served with a cocktail umbrella. Greene subtitles his personal blog with 'summer in a nutshell' - the very same applies to 'Life of Leisure', his debut EP out now on Mexican Summer, delivering instant memories of this year's beach season, giving us something to hold on to during these dark days to come. Check the single, "Hold Out," after the jump.
