Liverpool’s big buzz band have the media in the palm of their hand and can add a GIT Award nomination to their plaudits. ‘We’re happy because it’s obvious people get it,’ they tell Getintothis’ Orla Foster.
If there’s a nominee whose name has been championed from pillar to post, it’s Outfit.
From the Guardian to NME – to just about every blog out there – the band have found themselves so hotly-tipped they’re leaving dust trails in their wake.
Despite only forming last year, it’s clear they’ve already made a name for themselves as Liverpool’s golden ticket.
They’re hardly newcomers to the scene – all the members had been involved with various projects before, most notably as math-rock quintet Indica Ritual – but it was during last year’s Sound City Festival during the Getintothis showcase at the Bombed Out Church that they truly marked themselves out as ones to watch.
After their confident showcase, Outfit received a glowing reception from punters and press alike. The release of their first single followed in September, along with a swell of gigs supporting the likes of Ladytron and Real Estate.
Outfit – Dashing in Passing from 4eyes on Vimeo.
Musically, it’s not hard to see their appeal. Their sharp, cerebral take on disco-pop welds instantly catchy melodies to pillars of distortion, revealing a peculiarly melancholic core.
In fact, melancholy is woven into the very fabric (apologies) of Outfit; feelings of displacement and anonymity, of listening to answering machine messages and feeling lost.
Take Every Night I Dress Up As You, a paean to trying on the identities of people around you. Or Two Islands, whose minute-long intro sounds like waves crashing against a secluded cliff face – only to tip into a wistful appraisal of the isolating experience of living, as the band once did, with two dozen friends in a Liverpool mansion.
‘If you’re surrounded by people it can feel odd to experience inexplicable loneliness, keyboardist/vocalist Thomas Gorton told Getintothis.
Nevertheless, the band eventually ditched the country seat and went to seek out their fortune in London, where they’re currently based.
Not that the relocation’s done them any harm; with two singles under their belt, they’ve been working on their debut EP due in May and we’re sure plenty of good things will follow.
As they told Getintothis back in August, a change of scenery forms a necessary ingredient to their work: ‘It’s a wrench to leave (Liverpool) behind, but the future and the opportunity of a new city helps us to avoid any onset of stagnation.‘
Plus, there can be no denying that Outfit like to play hard to get. Unlike so many of their peers, you won’t spot them mouthing off on Twitter or lining up for a picture in front of a brick wall.
Equally, despite the endless comparisons that have been drawn with the likes of Roxy Music, you won’t find them donning dinner jackets or making sheep’s eyes at the girl in pink taffeta.
The band take a solemn line when it comes to PR: they answer interviews as a single entity, and they’re guarded about how much they’ll give away.
Despite this, they admit to feeling sanguine about what’s to come and recognition with a GIT Award nomination: ‘It’s hard to assess exactly where we’re at as a band. We’re happy because it’s obvious people are getting it and that’s undoubtedly a good feeling.‘
Proof, perhaps, that a carefully-curated aesthetic will draw people in – and if you want to know more, you’re just going to have to immerse yourself in the music.
Getintothis talks to Outfit.
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