Man, I’m in love with this song! Indianapolis band Stay Outside have clearly gone through a few changes since we heard from them last. In between releasing their Okay, For Now EP and single “Void” to now, Stay Outside seem to have had a shift in their line-up, shift in their aesthetic, as well as their sound.
While the emotionally genuine vocals and stellar strength in sound have remained for Stay Outside, the band have had an injection of playfulness that takes the earlier punches to the heart and toys with them instead of laying down and suffering at their hand. The dark and brooding vibes have been replaced by bright colours and a bit of silliness; all while keeping a really authentic core. In following the band on Instagram and other places, the sense of playfulness is not exactly new, and it’s very cool to see it become part of the band’s image.
“We haven’t talked in days. The ghost of you won’t let me.”
The upbeat and sparkling “All The Way Down” is made brighter and more endearing courtesy of its video, as we watch Aaron Becker (vocals), Garrett Johnston (guitar), Sean West (guitar), and Noah Mitchener (drums) in musical action and also in beautifully choreographed stylings. Directed and edited by Garrett and filmed by Brian Thorburn, warm homeliness and honesty in heartache meet brilliantly with catchy and hand-clapping celebration vibes. It’s a quest to hold on instead of lose yourself in love gone wrong. In Aaron’s words, “”All The Way Down” is a song about holding onto love even when times look tough. It’s a look into holding onto something to keep your sanity.”
The track is decorated by sweet backing harmonies, light guitar tones, playful piano, and what sounds like tamborine (and can I hear pencil scratchings??). I never would have expected such an upbeat piece of music from this band (shout out to the party vocal “Woo!” in the chorus), and I’m also loving that the same strength of emotional expression that I adored in the band’s earlier music is at the core of it.
Curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask the band about the shift. Aaron says “When we started Stay Outside we used black and white themes for most things. All of our album covers before “All The Way Down” were black and white and dark in a way. We wanted to make a drastic change with the new song with vibrant colors and themes. At one point while working on new material I got obsessed with Wes Anderson. I loved the way he used a color palette to express feeling and vibe, which also explains a lot about our music video.”
It’s an admirable shift in angle which has me very keen for whatever is coming next for the band. As well as the fresh single, Aaron shares that there are two more on the way this year. “Each song paired with a video, remixed version and an acoustic, stripped down version. We’re looking at 2019 to release an album with all new music.”
I love so much about “All The Way Down” and it’s sparked repeated plays already. Check it out below or on our Spotify playlist HERE.
“Wow.”
