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Outfit are the hottest thing to come out of Liverpool in recent years with a debut that is all synthpop and electronic, with touches of Hot Chip’s early days among the indie-influenced electronic sounds.
But this band does things a little differently. The band keep information about themselves to a minimum - instead letting their debut album Performance (and their confidence in it) do the talking.
“We’ve just made a really good record. We made this cool record in a studio in a block of abandoned flats in Liverpool and that’s it really about Outfit,” says lead singer Andy.
The band consists of five members, Andy, Tom, Nick, Christopher and David, with four heralding from the peninsula close to Liverpool, the Wirral. Despite the heritage, the band don’t count The Beatles amongst their influences, preferring to cite Frankie Goes To Hollywood and the Beach Boys instead.
Listen to Outfit's debut album Performance below
"I think most of the early gigs that we saw as young men will have strongly motivated us,” says guitarist Nick. “There’s always been a very good underground scene in Liverpool and some of my favourite ever gigs are gigs that I’ve seen in Liverpool shitholes when I was 18, The Lays and bands like that.”
With 2013 being heralded as ‘the year of guitar music’, bands like Outfit have turned this on its head, instead bringing innovative electronic music to the forefront of the British music scene. New single ‘Want What’s Best’ encapsulates this movement in British music; it’s a perfect, laid-back electro track with an enticing slow build.
“With our first EP we were living and working in London, so it has this very tense frazzled energy to it that represents how we were feeling at the time,” Tom explains.
“Doing this album up in Liverpool and having the space to just do it definitely influenced the way it sounds”, adds Andy.
Outfit's debut album Performance is released on 12 August 2013
The band play down similarities to other electronic bands, including the forefront of British electro, Hot Chip. “They’re good craftsmen and you can appreciate that about them. But it’s probably just ‘Want What’s Best’ that sounds like Hot Chip,” shrugs Andy. “I don’t mind the comparisons though. I do think they’re quite good, but I just don’t think we’re similar.”
Outfit’s low key, chilled out nature, reflected in their music and in their attitude to the music scene makes for a refreshing change from the omnipresent nature of artists across the world.
“We actually haven’t toured lots with Outfit. We’ve done tours and smatterings of festivals here and there in England and Europe but we’ll be doing more soon,” says Nick.
“The album’s out too late really,” quips in Andy. “So next year will be the year of touring and many festivals.”
Outfit’s debut album, Performance, is released August 12 on Double Denim Records.
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