Outer Rooms

Toronto two-piece Terrorista served up a string of colourful cassettes earlier this year, and now they've returned with local buds Outer Rooms in tow for a new single. The two-song split effort will be released on cassette on September 4 at Cameron House in Toronto, where the bands will perform a one-off set as Terror Rooms.

Both bands play on both of the new tracks, though "People Float" is billed as Terrorista featuring Outer Rooms, while "Driver" is credited vice versa. The former is an indie rock barnburner with an infectious shout-along refrain suggesting to "shut up," while the latter's gritty guitars stand out from beneath aggressive but arty post-punk-style vocals. The bed tracks were recorded live off the floor in a single short session, with vocals getting added in afterwards.

You can hear the final results by streaming the premiere of the joint effort in the player below. Scroll past the audio tracks to watch a clip for "People Float," as well. - Exclaim!

I walked into the self-titled debut EP from Toronto’s Outer Rooms with ideas of “anthemic art rock” inside my head (based on the band’s own description) unsure of what I would find behind door #1, “Ribbons”. Before I could get both feet firmly planted on their side of the threshold, Outer Rooms spun me ’round and sent me ass over tea kettle with the song’s searing opening guitar riff and lyrics: “Chewed up by an alley, I swallowed my front teeth”.

Idiosyncratic, unpredictable, yet throughly engaging and entertaining, Outer Rooms lays the foundation for what could be a mansion-sized career for the this four-piece, who pay as much attention to the visual presentation of their music as they do to the audio. Their self-produced and recorded EP is available digitally and physically from Outer Rooms’ Bandcamp page now. - Quick Before It Melts

An April album for your showering September. It was recorded in April 2014, into a humble black box of home recording prowess: Outer Rooms and the story of their self-titled EP. Self described epic art rock needs an intro like that.

The new four track EP drives a station wagon to the edge of the Canadian Rock cliffs, then swerves back towards power pop villages, leaving tire marks in the shape of Michael Ondaatje novels as they go. That self-recorded sound is impressive, never limiting, and the heavy tracks sit comfortably in the ears. The piano and drum recording is particularly good: it definitely sounds basement bred, but it’s mixed exquisitely (that would be Andrew at Above the Jewellers at the console for all those tasty levels). They’ve also made some stellar cd art, something you don’t see every day.

The leadoff track “Ribbons” is a slow build in the style of U2 epic. Matt Frewen’s excellent drum fills captivate and Justin Rivet’s bass keeps the listener rivetted to the groove. The changes in key, dynamic, vocals, are all very natural. Even the dropping of the band name in the song’s lyrics is not heavy-handed, it just slips in there.

“I Left My Eyes” is this year’s Guess Who hearthrob song. Well, it’s got eyes in the title. But the song does have some killer minor chords poured into a palm-muted breakdown; that’s a seriously ominous pairing with dark lyrics concerning strange worlds. The piano melody at tune’s end has a Wilco vibe as well — and that’s the last band name drop in this review, promise.

“Domino Backyards” is easily the killer song of the EP. A trip back home after moving to the dirty city is the story being told. The text of the lyrics is guided tightly by the verse, pre-chorus, chorus sections. The pinched, squawking guitar work takes the lead, depicting the inner tension of the speaker. It’s psychological, it works, and the track has a beautiful resolution.

The finale “Rawhead” might sound like the intro song to an urban cop show, but it’s actually a high drama involving cicadas and tinkling piano noise. It’s great.

These Outer Rooms show a great deal in the course of four tracks. They push the sounds to all corners of the rooms, inner and outer, and come together with impressive, passionate song. Check out the EP streaming now, check it out in its limited cd run, and check out the band at the Cavern on September 19th.

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good)

Top Tracks: “Ribbons” , “Domino Backyard” - Grayowl Point

For Fans of: Japandroids, Tokyo Police Club, Arkells, Menomena,

There’s a special place in heaven for the high energy indie rockers. The Tokyo Police Clubs, the Japandroids, the Bloc Parties, and their special brew of punk-speed rock are a blessing upon us mortal souls. With a hurried pace and distorted guitar they have a divine power to re-energize a mundane day and revitalize a dead radio. There really aren’t too many troubles that I can’t at the very least ameliorate with this invigorating music. Boss yell at you? It’s okay, you have Cheer It On. Car get towed? Just play Take Me Out. She dump you? Who cares? She couldn’t play Younger Us.

And for this I am eternally grateful.

This is also why I thank my lucky stars I still run into bands like Outer Rooms. In a music scene saturated by minimal R&B and prospector-beard folk, I am happy to know these four Toronto-based guys are still creating heart-racing rock. To get introduced to their music, take the track Domino Backyards out for a test drive. With its earworm chorus and stampeding drums, it is hard not to tap your feet, grin like a crazy person, and get swept up by it all. And that is the point, when this music is done well, like Outer Rooms most definitely does, it gets you thinking about nothing else but the pure energy.

Ribbons is another fine example of the fist-pumpability of the band’s sound. The vocals (sung by two or overdubbed) are pushed out with passion, sounding more like a chant than a punk delivery, rallying the listeners like a war cry. And the ever present guitar riff expertly builds tension in the first half, keeping you fully invested throughout until a tidal wave of a crescendo knocks you over in the final minute. It is fine musical craftsmanship turned into a visceral song experience.

And it is the kind of experience you just can’t get from much of the music that ends up on my doorstep. No insult intended, but the Fleet Foxes of the world aren’t getting the blood pumping like Outer Rooms. If my car gets towed I can’t really turn to Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, which makes them a necessary addition to my musical arsenal.

Hear more Outer Rooms here. - IMVERYAPE