I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this one! This month’s JMI (and double LP) is none other than Chicago’s own Outlaw!
If you know me, you know how I keep saying that mid 2010’s beatdown will one day be looked back on with the same nostalgia as early 2000s sass and grind. The era was just a breeding ground for new ideas and styles - with Outlaw being one of the pillars of what I consider to be Facebook downtempo.
Unlike what I consider to be some of the other founding fathers of the genre, Outlaw stripped away all the corny/overt nu-metal aspects (not that I don’t love Yüth) and focused on using the chugs and the clangs to just punish. It’s the angriest version of the genre that I can think of. It’s heartfelt and pissed off - it’s a screamo/punk record disguised as a beatdown act. Not an ounce of cheese and just 45 minutes of pummeling hatred for authority and mankind.
Eli’s vocal performance on this album is gut wrenching. The Jacob’s guitar work is beefy and dynamic. The drums are slow enough to get the point across, but have some of the best fills and rhythms in the genre. The bass fucking CLANGS. Everything about 688529 is just pushing the envelope of what can be done with downtempo. It’s honestly just windmill city but not even in a lame way. It’s the most serious album born from the era.
688529 is such a complete album (and flows so well and is so deliberate) that it really does need a full LP. It’s so rare for the genre that you can actually get a “full length” worth of material and not have it be boring. Cherry on top: Most Wanted remastered as a bonus LP. Single sided glory.
I remember when I first heard Most Wanted. It was on the back of acts like Barrier, Villains, Traitors and others. It was like NOTHING at the time. I can wax poetic forever but just listen to it! Fuck!
Art was once again handled by Ben Hoagland. We wanted to bring a lot of the themes and iconography to the forefront, and focus around an allusion to an older Merch design. It retain the black and white, and the gatefold is expansive.
Audio was again handled by Third Eye Studios and is sounding better than ever!
Will all that said, I’m so amped to bring you the official Outlaw discography on vinyl for the first and last time. 300 copies across five variants:
50 Consider This a Fucking Mage (Wax Vessel Signature)
50 Press and Run (Wax Vessel Signature)
50 Maybe The World Needs One More Great Sig (Wax Vessel Signature)
50 God Hand
100 Splatsu
All of this housed in:
1.5x thickness matte gatefold jackets
Double sided matte full color insert
Black polylined innersleeves
Gold foil numbering
Stuffed into polybags
This is probably the most recent thing I’ll ever do. It’s an absolutely “front to back” album experience, and the EP provides so much context and texture. I love this material so much, and I can’t wait for you to experience it on vinyl!
Preorders go live on March 26th at 1:00pm CST.
With it being a 2xLP, I do expect some additional production time - maybe late 2021? January 2022?
