Tourist - Inside Out
Tourist
Inside Out
By: Abigail Vettese
Inside Out is easily Tourist's best work, bringing evocative and intelligent energy to the mixes while maintaining an approachable and easy listening experience.
William Philips, best known as Existential Dance Music producer, Tourist, is back with his most evocative collection of songs yet, Inside Out.
His fourth album spans ten reliably expressive tracks and distills an expansive range of emotions into a beautiful and moving tribute. After losing a dear friend to a heart attack and being under strict lockdown, Philips took to his art to share the impact of his loss.
While serving as a space to process and mourn, Inside Out is also a recognition of becoming a father and a meditation on the challenges of being physically separated from loved ones during a time of tumult and change. Tourist speaks to the humanity in each of us through his latest body of work.
Photo Cred: James Lyndesey.
The album's opening track, “Speak In Symphony”, takes contemplative downtempo and seamlessly transforms its ambient soundscape into an upbeat and playful dance track.
The second song and lead single, “Your Love”, is the most energetic piece on the LP and perhaps the most forward-moving mix on the record. The significance of this song is apparent in Philips' reflections:
"This was one of those tracks I feel like I've been trying to write my entire life. There was something very sincere about the sentiment of asserting a statement of love over and over on a dance track. In the end, it forms the centerpiece of the album."
Following "Your Love" are standouts "With You" and "A Dedication," two of the strongest pieces from the album. "With You" explores dark and intense moods and thrives in its uniqueness and outside-of-the-box production. An evident air of intensity paints a side of Philips we don't often hear in his other works.
While it comes as no surprise that another 2022 release ruminates on the pandemic, there is something special to be said about EDM and house releases like this one.
During a time where dancing in clubs, watching live music, and using dance and movement as a form of healing is unavailable to us, this album is an important call to action - reconnect to music through motion.
Just as our emotional bodies experience malleability, so can our physical vessels. And Inside Out begs the listener to dance and find grounding through this reminder. It is nearly impossible not to nod your head or tap your foot to these tracks.
"Lark," the album's eighth song, is an opportunity to wind down and process the preceding music. It is an opportunity for respite.
"Lark" perfectly illustrates conflicting emotions - soft sounds transcending into clubby playfulness. This back and forth captures the inner experience of Philips. Grief and joy exist simultaneously here.
Inside Out may not appear to contain such depth at first glance, but Philips has successfully melded elation with despair.
Death and life converge; sorrow and celebration are dually present in this culmination of contrasting, emotionally charged tracks. Euphoric, sorrowful, impactful.
Inside Out is easily Tourist's best work, bringing evocative and intelligent energy to the mixes while maintaining an approachable and easy listening experience.
