Love, Death & Dancing (Vol. 1)

Album review

After a four-year hiatus following his breakthrough 2016 debut, English singer/songwriter Jack Garratt re-emerged with his formal sophomore outing, Love, Death & Dancing. In the period between releases, he grappled with depression, anxiety, and self-doubt, unsure of his abilities and scared to reveal too much of himself. Continually delaying his comeback, he scrapped ideas along the way until recapturing his vision with the help of producer Jacknife Lee. Awash with emotive electronic atmospherics and bolstered by a pulsing heartbeat, the set chronicles Garratt's journey from the pits of despair -- where he found himself after his quick and dizzying ascent to stardom -- to a hard-earned place of triumph, where his post-fame emotional struggles were eased with some peace and contentment. On the standout anthem "Better," he grapples with doubt and social pressure, confessing "Something's telling me to save myself/something's telling me to hurt myself" as a persistent dance beat beckons him to the party. Meanwhile, on the rousing "Get in My Way," the track explodes into a joyous, horn-backed church service that rides the motivational mantra, "Nothing's gonna get in my way!" If 2010s-era Bon Iver reconnected with Kanye West for one of the latter's born-again gospel revivals, it might come close to the heights Garratt achieves here. Love, Death & Dancing is a showcase for this production alchemy, a kitchen-sink approach that also pays off on tracks like "Mend a Heart," a two-step bop that transforms into a digital Daft Punk breakdown at the close, and "Return Them to the One," which slowly builds from a warm electronic whisper to a whirlwind of squealing synths, popping beats, and vocoder harmonies. As his studio wizardry evolves, so do his vocal delivery and lyrical substance. Shooting from wounded creaks to soaring falsetto and hungry, full-throated growls, he transforms his otherwise quite literal lyrics into rallying cries and affirmations that uplift and inspire with their relatability. Armed with his newfound sense of self-acceptance and determination, Garratt finds his voice on Love, Death & Dancing, embracing the darkness while shining some light into the shadows. As he concludes on the plaintive "Doctor Please," "I know it's alright not to be OK."
© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo