Culture

Universal

Wellington-based band The Outsiders have been touring relentlessly for their debut album, These Words Will Write Themselves.

Live, these songs are fast paced, catchy, and more than anything, fantastic to listen to. Unfortunately, they do not have the same effect on the album. The album is solid and couldn’t be called bad; however, it lacks the energy that these guys have on stage.
It opens well with ‘The Other Half’, where Stu Young starts the album strongly on bass. The second song, ‘Blue Skies’, is catchy – so catchy I found myself humming the chorus during the day. The standout track on the album is ‘This House Ain’t A Home’, which has a fast punk drumbeat and is closer to the sound from the demo the band released two years ago. The final track that I feel deserves mention is ‘Freddy Fudd Naked Again’, which talks about The Outsiders’ time touring as a band.
These songs make it even harder to say this, but the album as a whole is rather bland. It did grow on me considerably the more I listened to it, especially the first few songs, but it still could not compare to these guys live, and I fear that this will take away a lot from a band that deserves more. If you get the chance, have a listen to it – but more than anything, make sure you catch these guys next time they’re here, as they’re awesome live.