Outlander: Acts Of Harm
Doomgaze collective OUTLANDER released their immersive second record Acts Of Harm this summer. A seven-track hidden gem, taking just over forty minutes to fully submerge yourself in catharsis. The album’s power lies in its ambiguity- sometimes voiceless or without direction- it consumes, soothes, deceives and breathes to the extent it becomes almost human. We chat to guitarist Joseph House about how it reflects the enduring nature of life, the organic construction of isolation and how the band found solace in their own soundscapes.
To OUTLANDER, the response of the record has been really positive. Whilst parts of the album were written during the pandemic, and at times within the record you can really feel the periods of isolation, it still feels relevant. “[It’s] really nice because it feels like a vindication of taking our time with it”. The band took a few months to get their monochrome visuals right before the release. Joseph comments that Acts Of Harm is also an album that needs to be appreciated in full. “It seems like people are really getting through the whole thing and kind of listening to it that way, which is quite nice, especially in the age of Spotify.”
The progression of the record is meandering and provides natural direction, but also has tempestuous moments of unpredictability and wicked technicality. At times, The direction of Acts Of Harm feels like it is carved into the deep neurosis of human emotion and its cycles of destruction and recovery. Because of its unambiguity, how it moves through space and feeling, it makes the direction of the album so universal that it harbours genuine connection and feeling. Joseph explains that it is “one of those records you can put your own meaning on. And I think people have been quite liberal with metaphors. It’s nice that you can kind of give someone, give people a vehicle for that sort of conversation.”
Acts Of Harm is a body of work that was created naturally. “You’re really keen in the studio to make it feel like it was something that was happening in front of you.” In the case of their opening track Bound, Joseph explains that the band were keen on having just vocalist Ian Grant with his guitar and one mic in the studio. “We kind of brought all the rest of the mics in and then the instruments came in. It was something that kind of happened.” The intent was to construct an intimacy that made “moments within the album come alive”, building a personal relationship with the body of work.
Whilst the record has no specific meaning, the intent was “to paint a picture more than tell a story”. However, collective feelings from the band seem to influence the overall direction of the album. Joseph comments that as nearly all of the band have entered their thirties, Acts Of Harm reflects how “things just look a little bit different at this age. There’s that kind of endearing nature and it becomes somewhat problematic. I guess it’s about that. It’s about your life changing and kind of, you know, a grind.”
Joseph takes the stunning second track, Want No More is a real example of this. “It’s very much about the grind, the day to day kind of reality of life going through the motions and feeling a little bit isolated and a little bit numb to everything.” However, the track takes an unexpected, but gorgeously emotional turn with Jack Davis’ drum breakdown- for Joseph one of the best parts of the record. “To do it live and on the record, we had a lot of fun adding textures and trying to coax that performance from Jack, who did an amazing job on the drums.”
“It’s so kind of underneath the blanket of existing in like a thematic world. They’re all very like normal problems. And normal issues of the songs are about like, kind of happening to everyone and anyone.” Joseph explains this is why the record does not feel personal because it is so universal. There is an enduring nature to this record, carrying the listener through its entirety. Persistence drives the record through its cyclical stages, taking on new complex emotions as the record progresses.
There are moments of light and shade that really build texture in Acts Of Harm. “There are places where it’s quite hopeful. There are places where it’s quite cathartic, like the end of Lye Waste I think it goes through a few of a few feelings. But yeah, I guess it’s also quiet, quite sad. I think that the kind of emotions that we were trying to capture with it, I guess, were all kind of like being isolated. Numbness. Withdrawn.”
Joseph explains that the construction of the record was collaborative. “Everyone kind of contributes to the writing in their own way. And we all have quite vastly different influences.” Sonically, the band take inspiration from all different genres picking apart the complexities of bands like DUSTER and MOGWAI, citing their track Ithica 27 / 9 as a key influence for the layering of the record. For Orbit, the building nature of sound is taken heavily from the Scottish post-rockers’ use of instruments to provide an emotional response. However, sometimes this is blended together with old spaghetti western soundtracks.
OUTLANDER undertook one of the supports for PALM READER’s final shows earlier on this year and are excited to perform their new album ‘almost back to front’ in the near future. The band took their time with the release of Acts Of Harm, making sure that the visuals were right and they really were positive about their final product. For the band, they are excited to go back on the road again and play shows and let others feel the album in a live context and let everyone in the room connect.
Acts Of Harm is out now via Church Road Records.
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