A retrospective look at The Avalanches

A massive release at the time, and still referenced today through the likes of “Frontier Psychiatrist”, The Avalanches’ Since I Left You is now nearing twenty years old and will likely have fallen out of consciousness for the modern audience. With sampling at its core—band member Robbie Chater estimates 3,500 samples went into the making of the record overall—and big drums and vast production kept as a characteristic, the band wanted to reflect back onto dance music at the time. Since I Left You takes the listener on a whistle-stop tour of dance and electronica.

While “Frontier Psychiatrist” has maintained a longevity far beyond the rest of the album, and far beyond what the band could ever have anticipated at its release, tracks like “Radio” and title track “Since I Left You” make for memorable moments, while “Live At Dominoes” makes for a late upbeat entry in the tracklist. It’s an album that definitely deserves a listen today, and will go down well with fans of Lemon Jelly or DJ Shadow.

Finally, after years of silence from The Avalanches, recent activity has all pointed towards the release of their new album, Wildflower, releasing this summer. Earlier this week the group put out their first new song in 16 years; “Frankie Sinatra” is a gypsy jazz inspired, drug-trip infused track that firmly stomps the act into this decade. Their problem now will be the colossal hype, built up over 16 years, that the new record will be met with, and whether the band’s direction is still aligned with the fandom they have amassed.