The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2xLP, 2026 Repress)

The Avalanches' Since I Left You first arrived in 2000 as the Melbourne group's debut, and it still stands as one of the most distinctive albums to come out of sample-based pop. Built from thousands of vinyl fragments, it turns crate-digging into something unexpectedly warm and fluid, drawing together disco, sunshine pop, soul and hip-hop into a continuous, dreamlike sequence rather than a stop-start beat tape.

What makes the record last is not just its scale, but the way those samples are shaped into songs with real movement and personality. The title track opens the album in a rush of lift and momentum, while “Frontier Psychiatrist” shows The Avalanches' comic timing and gift for absurd collage. Elsewhere, tracks such as “Electricity” help reveal how carefully the record balances euphoria, detail and melodic flow across its full length.

This 2026 return brings Since I Left You back on vinyl in a remastered 2xLP edition. More than a period piece from the turn of the century, it remains a vivid example of how electronic music could be playful, emotional and densely constructed all at once.

Reviews

• Since I Left You sounds like nothing else. - Pitchfork