“Strange Articulation” is a riveting rock track from Los Angeles-based band The Outdoors, who describe the release as “about the weird way we all can look when trying to communicate honestly (or not)… the gestures, the emphasis, the articulations we nervously make when trying to make connections with other humans.”
A trickling effect and climactic rhythms drive into reflective pulses of guitar, while a smoothly impactful vocal emergence remarks on how it’s “a strange articulation.” “Lost along the border of this no man’s land, we don’t stand a chance,” the vocals continue with compelling mystique, ascending in emotion as a soaring delivery admits “I can’t explain anymore.”
Moody guitar twangs and subtle synth buzzing envelop thereafter, while themes of communication once again emerge in the “I can’t explain anymore” heartrending and title-touting refrain. This final sequence enthralls in its guitar-driven instrumentation, jangly and delectably moody with a likeness to Radiohead, while the vocals throughout retain a powerful delivery that sounds like a blend of Win Butler and Matt Berninger. The result is a rock success filled with palpable atmosphere and stirring thematic introspection.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
