Outside lions - more to say

Outside Lions

More To Say
self-released; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Kristen Fisher

The funny thing about moving to a new area is discovering after a while that you've lived near someone that you will eventually be playing music with. Outside Lions formed in the spring of 2012 when Joel Hermanson (originally from Chicago, IL) and Jordan Burmeister (originally from Phoenix, AZ) both moved to Milwaukee, WI to attend college. Who would have thought that out of this educational decision their duo would form? For a while it was only a guitar/drum progression. Now with Jon Taglienti on bass, there is a tight three-piece outfit.

Their album More to Say lingers on the tongue, with a resemblance to Teenage Fanclub with the focus on the diversity of issues that follows us in our early twenties. “Amherst” answers the 'I don't know' questions that tend to develop as we face that calling card of who is on your side and the basic slap from reality. I felt that the “Intro” was a ballsy move because it is a capella singing about what matters and if it matters enough. Hermanson and Burmeister have two voices that compliment each other balancing out the melodies between them. 

In More to Say you relish in the expense of hearing and welcoming the decades old nod to pop punk, indie punk guitar and cymbal clash. From beginning to end, this EP has a perfect loop. Without ever truly ending, it is good if you happen to be going on a road trip or maybe going to visit your hometown once more. This captures a nostalgia that we can't quite shake ourselves free of. “Not About Acting” feels a little too close to home, hitting those buttons that remind you of how badly you wanted to start with your own life. “Cheering” has a guitar riff that has hooked its claws beneath your breath. You'll want to rewind to the first few seconds over and over, just to receive the right amount of satisfaction. 

More to Say is a clever, intelligently made EP where everything happens to fit just right, the tuning of each chords rings a little bit louder than the previous track. And if The Concept by Teenage Fanclub needed to become apparent in this musical year, this would be the band to reinvent a modern interpretation.

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