Post-hardcore band Outline In Color released their frenzied new record Coast Is Clear on October 14 via Thriller Records. Coast Is Clear intertwines cool undertones with contrasting frantic hooks. Chaos ensues from the second the tracks hit, displaying an array of distressing yet crisp vocals throughout. The record draws fans in, producing addicting sounds on a vast scale to collect new listeners into their fanbase. Features include Loveless, Michael Swank, AVOID, and Chris Roetter and was produced by Hiram Hernandez and Andrew Baylis. Here are the tracks that have influenced Outline In Color as a band and some of their own favorite songs.
INFLUENCES
Senses Fail “Bite to Break the Skin”
I’d dabbled in heavier music before this came out, but this was the first time I can remember hearing metalcore/post-hardcore screaming. At the time I didn’t resonate as much with straight metal vocals, and hearing Senses Fail’s interpretation of harsh vocals was a breath of fresh air for me. I was also playing a lot of drums when this song/album came out as well, and I can remember being blown away and inspired by their drummer. I was lucky enough to see Senses Fail on this album cycle a couple times. I can still see myself standing to the side of the stage and watching the drummer the entire set ripping. This band still has always had a special place in my heart. It would be absolutely crazy to one day tour with them.
– Michael Skaggs, vocalist
Every Time I Die “Apocalypse Now and Then”
I started listening to this album in middle school. Every Time I Die was a very formative band for me when I was younger. It led me into other bands like letlive.
– Austin Mcferrin, drums
Underoath “Writing on the Walls”
Underoath was a very influential band for me when I was in high school, and they changed how I viewed music. When I heard “Reinventing Your Exit,” I was hooked on this newer, different style of music. I went back and listened to their older material, but the song that really had the biggest impact on me was “Writing on the Walls.” I had just started to learn how to play the guitar and was interested in vocals. The dynamics all throughout the song were extremely influential to how I progressed as a musician and how I approach writing. Aaron Gillespie starts with a smoother, lower register. The transition into a more aggressive verse led by Spencer Chamberlain’s vocals gets you hyped. There are so many transitions in their music where it feels like they’re guiding you through a story where nothing feels out of place, and there are a lot of transitions in this song. I really zoned in on every aspect of their music, because at times there are different instruments that carry the song. Sometimes the vocals carry the song, then drums, half time feel, transition, and this was one of the first times I really noticed how much production matters in a song. The reason I go into this amount of detail is because the song flow doesn’t have the normal flow or feel of “okay, this is the verse, chorus, bridge,” or any other part. I had my expectations with how I thought a song chorus, verse, transition, etc. should go, but I felt like after hearing how this was melded together that anything was possible. You can have a continuous guitar strumming over staccato notes in a breakdown and a slow synth of production right in the beginning, middle, or end. None of those things mattered as long as the song flows, and it feels like everything works together. Every other song I heard at the time felt like a contest of who can have the coolest breakdown or sing the most impressive string of high notes. This was the era where a lot of bands that aimed at making heavy music almost followed the same kind of formula, and instead Underoath challenged the formula by making their own. They made it a point to have every note, hit, breakdown, or lyric have a specific purpose, and that stood out to me to sound exceptionally unique. As a vocalist their music showed me the importance of finding out what parts of your voice sound the best with belting, airy, or breathy lower register phrases, among other things. There’s so much variety with how Aaron sings, and he goes through so many octaves and styles throughout the whole song. If this song came out today I think it would easily hold its own.
– Jonathan Grimes, vocals, bass
Alexisonfire “Sidewalk When She Walks”
The album Watch Out! as a whole is easily a huge reason why I started playing music and being more interested in music in general. Everything about this song and album is very unique and different but so easy to relate to and listen to. This song in particular was impacting enough on my life that I decided to tattoo some of the lyrics across my chest. This song stuck out to me over the others from the very first listen, and I still to this day listen to this album at least once a week. I don’t think any band sounds anything like Alexisonfire despite them having very different sounds throughout the years. I love that they are able to create something so unique and so amazing. They are a sound of their own, and I feel like I’d perceive music a little differently if I had never listened to this album or heard this band.
– CJ Cochran, guitar
ESSENTIALS
“Toss the Match”
To be honest, it is nearly impossible for me to arrive on a favorite for Coast Is Clear. I’m so proud of every song. However, if I had to pick one it would be “Toss the Match.” Having Chris Roetter on a song was an absolute dream come true, but zooming out even more, this song was one of the first songs I wrote with our producer back in 2019 that made me think I might be able to hack it as a songwriter. I sat on this song for a long time, but when we entered the studio to finish our album it became evident this song would be coming back. It was really cool to take something that was written for the shear joy of writing and was never really intended for Outline in Color, change shape and become one of my favorite songs we’ve ever made. There’s a lot of other favorites on the record, but for those reasons this one has a special place in my heart.
– Michael Skaggs, vocalist
“Bury My Thoughts”
This song became my favorite super early on in the album writing process and remained my favorite. I love being a part of anything with lots of clean and ambient guitar/instruments. Huge fan of Skaggs doing more soft singing vocals as well. Love how the chorus came together. The whole track is epic to me with just enough heavy to keep our current audience into it, while still different enough to attract a new audience as well.
– CJ Cochran, guitar
“Stay Away”
My favorite song is “Stay Away.” I’m really happy with how we sound individually and as a collective. I feel like it encompasses everything we’ve been trying to do into one song. It’s got groove and catchiness, while still having moments that appease our heavier listening audiences. Overall, I’m very proud of how we all sound and how it came to together.
– Austin Mcferrin, drums
“Bury My Thoughts”
My favorite and most memorable song from the new album is “Bury My Thoughts.” This was the first song I had a clear idea of what I wanted the song to be and was extremely happy, but anxious to be able to take the lead on the concept. I’ve had struggles with song concepts and lyrical content in the past, and I needed to figure out how to communicate that to the room, while writing without spiraling into an endless circle. As an adult diagnosed with ADHD late in life, I struggle with executive dysfunction to the point where I’m screaming internally at myself to get up and do something, or to live in the moment, but my body won’t move. It’s a similar experience to having the will to do something but not the skill. In this scenario, it’s the other way around. I have the skill to make music, be a good dad to my daughter, and do the things I need to do in my life, but no matter how hard I try to make myself snap out of being frozen, I can’t. In this song, I’m realizing that this is happening while watching the world go on without me and the things important to me burning down as a result of my inability to pull myself out of my paralyzed state. It’s almost a form of torture mentally, and I’m afraid to suddenly teleport to the end of the day not remembering any of it. Thinking about missing out on my daughter’s life, not being able to be mentally present, and remember any of what happened during the day is so incredibly terrifying to me. My brain finds every reason not to do something if it’s not extremely thought out and perfect. If it’s not, then I’m frozen in time. The lyrics “stuck staring at the ceiling pretending I’m someone that I might never be,” is the thought process I go through at the very end of the day where my brain is finally able to process every single moment that happened, because I’m left with nothing but a quiet room and my thoughts keeping me up all night. I’m remembering what I could’ve done different while tearing myself apart, because I’m so mad at myself for not living up to the potential of who I feel like I could be. In my mind, I’ve failed. We live in a world of stimulation where there are so many screens, updates, notifications, and things to do that we figure out how to be the most efficient version of ourselves. Every night I feel like I’ve lost the day from doing those things on autopilot, and I’m back to staring at the ceiling like no time has passed at all, almost like the movie Click. I’m desperately trying to live in the moment with a brain that doesn’t want me to. I’m proud of myself for being able to be 100 percent as open and vulnerable with this song for what I feel like is the first time in my writing career. I didn’t feel anxious to share the vocal melody ideas like the soft falsetto in the pre-chorus like I usually am, and I’m proud of that. Thankfully, Skaggs and our producer Hiram were able to push me, help me with my struggles to communicate, and make this song out of it. Listening to it is a very emotional process for me and almost therapeutic in a way. It’s so hard to explain how this feels in words, and I hope someone out there is able to connect with it. I’m also extremely proud of Skaggs and how dynamic his vocals are over this entire song. It shows how much he’s evolved as a vocalist. I was excited to watch him find a way to connect with the song, especially in the bridge where he absolutely slayed the vocal takes with the same emotion and anger I would’ve conveyed. It showcases how versatile he really is. When the band was listening through which songs we thought could be singles, I was very surprised to hear that “Bury My Thoughts” was one of the songs the band advocated for. It may sound corny, but that helped me feel accomplished in a very specific way as a songwriter for the first time. This album is full of songs that are dark horse sleepers in their own ways.
– Jonathan Grimes, vocals, bass
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