Celebrating The Avalanches’ ‘Since I Left You’ (25 Year Anniversary)

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Twenty-five years ago, The Avalanches made their debut with the record, ‘Since I Left You‘. The album is built on the foundations of impressive sampling and a kaleidoscope of emotions. Comprised of over 900 samples, this LP is as much an art piece as it is a compilation of songs. This helped the Australian group cement itself as sampling pioneers and leaders of modern electronic music.

It’s hard to pinpoint what genre this LP is. There are elements of disco, pop, psychedelic rock, and dance – and that’s just one song alone. Two members of the group, Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann, produced the album. Their consistency as producers helped the band explore such a wide array of sounds without taking the record too far astray. This is a very coherent release, regardless of its fearlessness. 

From Françiose Hardy to Madonna, the samples vary through decades and levels of fame. They did create some concern about international releases over copyright. However, the album was ultimately released internationally. This successful record stormed international dance charts and mainstream charts. This includes the U.K. Album Chart top 10 and an impressive four-star rating from The Guardian.

Since I Left You

The title track remains one of the most iconic from the band. The beat helps to maintain the dance feel that runs throughout the album. The strings help create a dreamy and ethereal vibe that gives this LP an escapism quality. Furthermore, the music video definitely has this escapist energy. It sets the scene for a short story that is an immersive and enjoyable watch.

The optimism in the sound of this track pairs nicely with the record’s other upbeat songs such as ‘Radio‘. There’s also an element of captivating world-building that I found reminiscent of ‘Electricity‘. I find it really interesting how The Avalanches are able to create the same vibe within very distinct songs throughout the album. These emotions are so curated it is almost cinematic.

Frontier Psychiatrist

One of the most iconic tracks from ‘Since I Left You‘ is ‘Frontier Psychiatrist‘. This song, along with its music video, has captivated me my entire life. The sheer amount of samples working cohesively together is impressive. It tells a story of a young man who is facing expulsion from school for being criminally insane. The majority of the samples on this specific number are obscure, spoken-word excerpts.

‘Frontier Psychiatrist‘ is partially known for its humour. However, I’ve always taken it quite seriously. Perhaps because I heard it at such a young age, or maybe because I feel it doesn’t rely on its humorous qualities to be enjoyable. In addition, the steady percussion is very powerful whilst the structure is coherent with a catchy chorus. Granted, there are funny samples and certainly a bizarre element, but all in all it’s a great song that I’ll listen to regardless of how I’m feeling. It also gets extra points for the fun Hawaiian-themed acoustic outro.

Final Thoughts

‘Since I Left You‘ is a true masterpiece. It’s a never-ending journey of uncovering interesting and niche samples. It’s a concept album done differently. With an idea so unique, it could be easy to be unlistenable. I enjoy in the fact that it’s a great LP, even without considering the artistry. It’s electronic yet nostalgic, and packed full of emotion.

In between their debut record and their follow-up ‘Wildflower‘ released sixteen years later, there’s no doubt that music has shifted. More and more artists have utilised the traits of The Avalanches in new ways. I definitely see the correlation between growing up and having this kind of music resonate with me, with what I enjoy now. For example, the clever use of sampling from the likes of TV Girl, or the post-alternative vibes of Super Furry Animals fondly reminds me of ‘Frontier Psychiatrist‘.

Album Rating: 8/10

The Avalanches are on Instagram, TikTok, X, and Threads. You can buy their album here or stream below. Read more anniversary pieces here.

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