Phase

Phase is an exciting debut from a talented artist, a case where the hype is duly warranted.

Phase is a virtuosic, thrill-packed album, ricocheting among extremes before concluding with “My House Is Your Home,” which uses just Mr. Garratt’s voice, his piano and apparently a creaky piano stool. Yet underlying each strenuous track is a clear-cut, old-fashioned pop structure: verses and choruses, tension and release, matters of the heart. But now they are buffeted, brilliantly, from all directions.

Sonically adventurous, Phase is unafraid of chunky choruses, bedroom confessionals and twisted synth arrangements. [Mar 2016, p.75]

You could argue that Garratt applied unnecessary polish over what might be a prettier patina, but he deserves props for mapping out his own terrain, accessibility be damned.

Phase isn’t that bad at all; it certainly isn’t bland. The production, in particular, is dynamic and pin-sharp, in debt to a broad swath of UK night sounds (dubstep, garage) and digital R&B, the early 21st century’s hegemonic sound.

There’s no doubt that the record’s production is second to none and Garratt’s talent is as obvious as an Uber driver’s Sat Nav, but his USP is somewhat dimmed by hours and hours of carefully chosen layers, vocals and everything else in between.

These overly earnest lines [in ‘Weathered,’ ‘My House Is Your Home,’ and ‘Surprise Yourself’] do a disservice to Garratt’s talents as a musician and producer, because the artful melodies and textures on Phase really do shine.

An album that feels entirely of the moment in a way that isn’t entirely satisfying--and, of course, with vast commercial success, which feels inevitable.

The result is that a few songs in you find yourself rather craving a bit of imperfection, something scruffy and incorrigible to disrupt all this generic rhythm and gusto. [Mar 2016, p.116]

While one half of Phase sounds complete and polished, the other sounds unfinished, and unsteady. But the songwriting quality of the better cuts and the raw talent that underpins their delivery brings a fire to the record.

As interesting as Garratt seems on the surface, his debut is constantly attempting to straddle the line between being edgy and different and achieving widespread appeal. Ultimately, it is the latter that wins through and the end result is a record that is highly accomplished, but lacking in any real adventure.

Marketing aside, Phase doesn't sound unpleasant, just generic.

The potential is there for this to be very good, but the fact that it’s so comprehensively safeguarded limits it hugely.