Outsiders: Shallow Graves

The Outsiders could put a pretty decent claim down for being the hardest-working genre band in New Zealand. They certainly rack up more frequent flyer miles than any other, with tours of New Zealand being very much the tip of the iceberg for these frequent visitors to Australia, Europe and the USA.

The members of the band themselves are all very experienced and a listener could draw a straight line of steadily increasing quality through their previous projects (including Ritalin and Not Quite Right) to their work under The Outsiders’ banner. Their latest EP, Shallow Graves keeps that trend in place.

The five tracks of Shallow Graves demonstrate a mature band, delivering a post-punk sound relying on density. The Achilles’ Heel of The Outsiders has always been a lack of hooks in the songs – meaning they all have a tendency to blur together. However, this release shows that the melodies exist, they are simply quite buried and multiple listens are required to get the most out of the disc.

“My Answer” is the stand-out, with a chorus that, given a chance, gets stuck in your head like glue. It is a new high-water mark for The Outsiders and seems destined to surely be a live favourite. The title track also shows encouraging signs of catchiness, which would complete the picture for a band that already has musicianship and polish in spades.

Hopefully a sign of the future, Shallow Graves shows The Outsiders continuing to grow. Still extremely consistent, but with signs that they are ready to take their material to the next level of songwriting.
Matt Barnes, Punkas.com