English DJ Jamie xx came to power on a wave of goodwill from a pair of remixes in the hoary old days of 2010-11. Unless you’re a UK dancefloor fanatic, though, you’ll probably know him best from The xx, an indie pop group from the early 2010s best known for releasing beloved albums after long intervals. In between Coexist and I See You, Jamie xx released In Colour in 2015. As a solo record, it was well removed from The xx’s spacy, somewhat dour take on midnight pop; it banged, it soared, it got the crowd moving. “Gosh”, the opener, by itself was worth the price of admission.

Then, as usual, nothing. Nearly ten years passed, during which there were glimmers of him here and there. A track for Tyler, the Creator, one for Frank Ocean, production on fellow xx’er Romy’s solo album, none of it setting the world on fire. In Waves, only his third solo record in 14 years, seemed like an announcement from out of time. Jamie xx? Did 2016 even happen? Have we been living through a particularly feverish nightmare?

No, a spin through In Waves will show you that it’s real. It’s too middling to be anything but. At it’s heart, it’s a collection of dancefloor numbers that borrow little bits from every UK bass sub-movement that’s been popular, then and now. There’s an xx reunion on it, pretty good if not earth-shattering. The guests are all worth it, especially the Avalanches collab “All You Children.” None of it is standout, though. It has the feel of a professional Excuse Project – where the record gives you an excuse to engage in widespread touring. The only thing that separates it from, say, Usher’s execrable Coming Home is that the songs are better. The vibe and general purpose are more or less the same.

That’s not to say it isn’t worthwhile, of course. If you’re hard up for reasons to get up and dance, In Waves provides twelve reasons. He’s very good at what he does, after all. Once that’s out of the way, though, there’s nothing lasting going on here. It lacks the cultural gravitas of Brat, another album of club bangers at its heart. We’re not having an In Waves Winter. People aren’t making breathless TikToks about any of this stuff. At the same time, it lacks the depth necessary in getting an album like this to crossover into the realm of the art nerds – which was what The xx was for, if you recall. In the end, In Waves is a nice tour artifact, better than some, but still a tour artifact for all that.