It may be early days for Liverpool’s Outfit, who only formed at the start of the year, but the band’s upcoming appearance at the Green Door Store is certainly one to check out. From the relatively little we’ve heard from the band so far – and their early presence online is veiled by a very 2011 fogginess which mirrors their hard-to-define musical style – there’s plenty to like. The excellent upcoming “Vehicles/Two Islands” debut single is good enough to suggest that the five Merseysiders are onto something very interesting indeed.
Musical touchstones are tricky with these guys. There is certainly something retro about their sound, which is on the one hand moodily (but in an uplifting way) ’80s art-rock, and on the other far-reaching, like you might expect from, say, a very British Yeasayer. In the same way that the likes of Wild Beasts or the XX took something very English in new directions, fusing genres with enormous success, Outfit sound instantly familiar but intangibly different. So while there are sparsely addictive grooves that the Invisible would be proud of on “Vehicles” there are also layered swathes of ominous guitar, while the smoothly lovely vocals lift it all above the musical mood clash below, giving the song a sweetly addictive polish.
Outfit are another welcome example of an English indie band taking a seemingly teeming treasure chest of influences and creating an interesting new sound. Of course it’s too early to pass judgment on a new band just making their way, but we’ve got a sneaking suspicion this is a band to keep an ear out for in the coming months.
“Two Islands/Vehicles” is released on 12 Sept through Double Denim on tastily transparent vinyl, and is limited to 500 copies.
