A recent album release from Cult Outside has a unique way of delivering an edgy but also vast soundscape that combines indie and alternative rock along with other subgenres in the mix to create an atmosphere that you end up falling right into and once you're there, you don't want to leave.
The Thought Vessel album is a big one and consists of layers of natural and digital instrumentation as they bring in keys and synths along with guitar tones that are sonically driving and give the album a combination of color and edginess.
This record has a lot to say and indeed there are layers to be peeled back throughout its course however, it does have a lot of radio friendliness as well as the songs do tend to have a little bit of a pop overcoat, and this tells you that the band certainly knows how to write songs that are catchy along with bringing that heavy underbelly.
There's something about the record that feels almost like it's a concept album because songs have a certain way of interconnecting with each other and as the record unfolds, you're able to kind of piece that together in a certain way.
Even if I'm wrong about the concept album thing, listening to this album in full is the proper way to do it.
If you listen to one or two tracks from this record, you're not really getting the full spectrum of what the album has to offer as a whole and that's just a shame.
As I said earlier, there are layers here and some surprises around the corners along with an array of great hard rock and pop songwriting that is constantly combined throughout this record.
I also really dig the energy levels of the record because that varies as well. Certain songs feel almost like they could have been recorded live on the floor with players who are feeding off of each other's energies the entire time while others feel like it's more of a deepening recording studio experience with extra layers and more textures to be worked with.
Either way, you're getting something that breeds an impactful and almost cinematic pop rock, alternative rock, and alternative pop feel and approach that lends a hand to bands of the late 90s and early 2000s at times.
There are elements about this album that feel like it was influenced by those sorts of late 90s underground alternative rock bands that we used to listen to on a constant basis.
They take those influences and twist them into their own soundscape, and I love that about these guys because you can tell this is a passion project and they're doing it for the love of doing it.
I was pretty surprised to find out that the whole project was done by two people who were friends and decided to just start making music together.
So, I was correct. This is something that they both always wanted to do, and love to do, and that's why the record came out so well.
The aesthetic that they were going for is nailed and these songs hit their mark each time so if you listen to the whole album, it's kind of like a great escape from your reality.
The record can pull you away from your surroundings and put you in different places altogether and I feel like that's a gift in music.
Again, I suggest certainly listening to the entire record from beginning to end if you have the time and it's only about 45 minutes long so I think you can.
If you're not in a place where you can crack this nice and loud, because it sounds better that way, then listen to it with headphones on so you can soak in all the different elements and textures that are going on throughout the tracks.
The whole approach to this record is amazing and I would dive into this one as soon as possible.
Remember where you heard it first.
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