With the release of their 2022 album ‘The Last Goodbye’ and its associated tour, ODESZA has raised the bar across the board for electronic music this year. ‘‘The Last Goodbye’ (released via Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune) became an immediate fan favorite and an artistic tour de force upon release, earning the GRAMMY-nominated partnership of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight critical acclaim, astronomical ticket sales, and an impressive resume of syncs that have dominated the 2022 media landscape.
Tracks off ‘The Last Goodbye’ have appeared wildly across the pop culture zeitgeist this year, including multiple syncs in Apple’s Keynote at the 2022 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, in commercials with GoPro, Insta360, Sony Playstation, syncs in the recent FIFA 23 video game, recent episodes of Love Island and Fate: The Winx Saga, the official trailer for the Okeechobee ‘23 Festival, the Teton Gravity Research film Magic Hour and became a center point for an activation at HP’s Arctic Dome at this year’s Coachella, and more.
“The Last Goodbye Tour” sold over 450k tickets throughout its amphitheater run with numerous sold-out, multi-night runs including in their hometown of Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena, LA’s The Forum, and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and more (making them one of the only electronic artists to attempt such a tour). The recent groundbreaking tour also earned high praise with a Pollstar cover feature proclaiming that “ODESZA makes history”, while Billboard added “ODESZA is meant to be seen, and heard, live”, and the Seattle Times called them “a ticket selling, dance music force that raised the live performance bar for electronic artists.”
With guest appearances by Bettye LaVette, The Knocks, Ólafur Arnalds, Julianna Barwick, Izzy Bizu, Charlie Houston, Låpsley, & MARO, ‘The Last Goodbye’ is sweeping in nature, delicately and deftly crafted – a stirring collection rife with brightness and emotion, wistful yet rooted in the present. Album highlight “Love Letter (feat. The Knocks)” was accompanied by a cinematic short film music video starring Simone Ashley which was covered by Teen Vogue, Bustle, E! and more.
The album as a whole earned acclaim from Billboard who praised its “lush soundscapes, grandiose moments and productions that are equally complex and emotive,” Associated Press who called it “an indescribable, immersive listening experience”, and Pitchfork who said ODESZA “have found themselves at their most introspective just as they’re primed to make a bigger splash on the stage than ever before.” The album also debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart, and received Times Square billboards in NYC from Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube.
