Within and Without is the debut studio album by American singer Washed Out, released on July 6, 2011, by Sub Pop.
[3] The cover for Within and Without uses an image that also appeared in the May 2011 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, accompanying an article titled "Is This the Most Satisfying Sex Position?".
[7] Kevin Liedel of Slant Magazine praised its juxtaposition of "warm, decades-old retrograde styles with the despondent, isolated, and decidedly modern mood of [Ernest] Greene's alienated narratives ... Melodies and instrumentation are infused with sunny, tender basslines and mellow synths that harken back to soft, '70s-era R&B rhythms, electrified '80s pop, and synth-heavy shoegaze, while Greene's muffled vocals and haunting atmospherics provide angst-ridden counterpoints.
"[14] Brandon Soderberg of Pitchfork noted the album's improved production values compared to Greene's previous output, and called it a "declaration to snarky ironists that there is nothing to be ashamed of" about the chillwave genre.
[1] However, Paul Lester of BBC Music gave the album a mixed review, stating: "The rhythm is repetitive but sounds played rather than sequenced, offering the idea that Within and Without is less synthetic, more 'real', an unnecessary development considering how moving those early Washed Out tunes were, while production-wise the new material is actually a less punchy version of Greene's pristine melancholia, more waffly and wan.