Jack Garratt has been making waves in the UK music scene. 2015 was a big year for him, winning BBC Introducing Artist of the Year and Sound of 2016, as well as Critics’ Choice at the 2015 BRIT Awards. This was all with only a couple EPs and singles, now he is ready to bear it all in his first full length album, “Phase.”

Garratt’s music has a wide range of genres mixed into it, from his soft and subtle singer/songwriter sound to a more refined version of dubstep. “Phase” begins with a sort of prelude to the rest of the album called “Coalesce (Synesthesia Pt II).” This song sets the mood for the album: Garratt’s voice starts quiet and sultry, then the chorus explodes with bass and his powerful falsetto is revealed. It’s this quick transition from the more basic to chaotic sound that permeates itself through the whole album.

“The Love You’re Given” is exactly one of those songs. It begins with this beautiful, operatic voice singing the hook of the piece while Garratt sings heart-broken lyrics. As it goes on it builds with layers and layers of new sounds creating a jazzy, soulful sound. Near the end an explosion of sound comes in giving the song an angrier tone then the anguished beginning. This is one of his best produced songs and definitely one of my favorites.

Although he is very good at the intense and heavy, two of the strong points in the album are “I Know All What I Do” and “My House Is Your Home.” Both are very stripped down, but build and swell like most of his other songs. “I Know All What I Do” has a folk song-like melody with a subtle electronic backing, while “My House Is Your Home” is just Garratt and a piano. It sounds quite raw and, with almost no production, it’s like he’s performing it right next to you.

“Fire” is the high point of the album. It’s a powerful and strong song that has many different but cohesive details to it. The chorus takes over the song with big production and Garratt’s angry, aggressive voice. Once the bridge comes in there is a driving piano and his voice drops down which builds tension till the end. Every minor details quickly adds back in creating a cacophony of sound. It’s one of my favorites and I imagine it being even better live. Check out a stripped down version of “Fire” in the video below.

His most dubstep-related song is “Chemical,” which fades between different tones every couple segments. Although the piece is really unique and fun, this lack of a clear focus can be off-putting and overall confusing to the ear. This is probably the low point of the album, but that’s definitely not saying it’s bad. If this is the low point, it’s a good sign the album is pretty amazing. The music video is cheeky, showing the crazy and almost stalker-like nature of fan girls.

This is a strong first album for Garratt. It doesn’t come without flaws, but he’s on the verge of being an amazing artist. Most of his music lends itself better to a life performance, so hopefully he’ll make it to Denver soon.