Saturday ACL Fest Record Reviews
Jack Garratt
Phase (Island)
Reviewed by Kevin Curtin, Fri., Sept. 30, 2016
When Jack Garratt arrived at SXSW 2016 as a certified buzz act, he dropped jaws with his six-armed approach to performance, gorgeously realizing his sensitive songs via keyboard, electric guitar, and drum pads. The young Brit's debut LP calls into question whether he's the next great electronic singer-songwriter or the worst bedroom-emo dubstep producer. On "Coalesce (Synesthesia Pt. II)" Garratt actually sings, "I hope you take my innocence every night, rebuild it with time," before dropping into an aggressive Skrillex wobble. Still, his DIY pop production talents and versatile vocals – ranging from breathy sincerity to an agile falsetto – are just enough to keep the headphones beyond the radio pay dirt of funky electro sing-along "Worry." (3:30pm, Cirrus Logic stage)