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The Thomas Dolas-produced Outside (briefly) is the sound of a band that s truly found its voice, and in many ways feels like Froth s proper debut. Across the ten songs, the band dialed back the noise and psych-pop found on their previous LPs to reveal delicately beautiful melodies, intricately arranged instrumentals, and some of their most experimental songwriting to date. This evolution revealed new dynamics of Froth s sound, resulting in a moodier and more atmospheric bend to their shoegazing melodicism and pop sensibilities, mixing the driving, tuneful drone of first single “Contact” alongside the epic squall of the intertwining guitars on “Passing Thing” and the more spare, meditative landscape of “Show A Flower A Candle And It Grows” (featuring lead vocals from drummer Cameron Allen). Whereas previously they operated mainly as a guitar-driven band, here finds songs augmented by highlights of cello and synths (courtesy of Dolas), as well as drum machines, Rhodes, and other keys. Lyrically, Ashworth found the works of authors Richard Brautigan (the album title comes from a chapter in one of his books) and Haruki Murakami as a fitting inspiration for the dark beauty of Outside (briefly) s music. The result is their most varied yet cohesive work to date: a refined studio effort that no longer feels like a documentation of a live band of a collection of songs, but rather a complete, full-bodied album.
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