Great songwriting, lush production, moods rising from intimate folk-pop to experimental psychedelic rock – Todd Underwoood’s return brings a sensational opening song, as Welcome To The Stage kicks off the unmissable new album Outside.
Superb melodies are an effortless strong point of the Todd Underwood sound, something that comes naturally to the lifelong musician. In addition though, for this album in particular, we also get the stories, the heartfelt reflections, and the thoughtful arrangements, to build upon an eclectic and uplifting collection of a original tracks.
Passion drives things, as always, First in Line quickly offering an anthemic sense of energy and possibility, with striking guitars, impassioned vocal peaks, and a strong groove supporting a story that seeks to motivate and inspire. Its Not Broken afterwards delivers a more sultry shuffle of a track, with a blues-pop undertone and a call-and-response sense of character that leads to another mighty hook.
Eleven tracks in full make up Outside, a rather eclectic project, from a devoted songwriter whose influences span from The Police to King’s X and Saosin. The title-track is an early highlight, a thoughtful and poetic song, with a dreamy set-up to reinforce the imagery and escapism of the writing. The song offers a glimpse of what connects the playlist, what inspired this project for release in 2024, and the feelings that stand tall throughout it.
Rock and Roll freedom pierces through for Something You Wanted to Say, while Too Soon to Quit brings a pop-rock warmth and uplift that’s beautifully inspiring. In both cases, these thoughts reflect on personal experiences and interactions that feel genuine and relatable. Todd’s realism and commitment to expressing authentic sentiments resounds at every turn, and helps his songs reach out and entertain in a lasting way.
From entertaining highs to contemplative mid-level wonders, Shadow of the Battlefield is comforting by design, but confronting and thought-provoking by topic, and again stands out for its balancing of upbeat energy and tumultuous intention. Then we return to the striking rock riffs of a powerful Reap What I Sow, before the cinematic detailing and alternative anthemic presence of Glass House leans towards nostalgic new metal in both set-up and performance style.
Ride It High is another uplifting rock anthem towards the album’s finish, contrasting tempos and moments brilliantly through a lyrical depth that connects a little more strongly with each revisit. Todd Underwood consistently masters this meeting between surface level entertainment and the subtle but striking thought-process of an artist seeking to make sense of the world. And this is a quality quite boldly underlined throughout Outside’s closing track.
Tell Me Not to Worry is compelling lyrically and stylistically, accessible vocals and heavy distortion juxtaposed amidst lyrics that equally pair destruction and optimism throughout a series of reflections on modern life and the world at large. The song is a definite highlight, and wraps up this album in a way that leaves you keen to dive back in – just to make sure you didn’t miss any key ideas or moments.
Brilliantly crafted, with the audience in mind but also with a conceptually profound core to work with that helps elevate the style all the more so.
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