Outsider is Maxx Parker's debut album released on Aztec Records and features artists LAU, Thought Beings, GeoVoc, Natalie Gray, Young Empress and Syst3m Glitch. The collaboration between such diverse acts delivers songs that are ignited with melodic and atmospheric arrangement and production coupled with emotional, powerful, heartfelt vocals and lyrics.
The album draws on themes of love, heartbreak, nostalgia and self-reflection. The opening track 'Shimmer ft. GeoVoc' starts off the album with a reflective, delicately crafted introduction that eases the listener in. The album cuts between upbeat, 80's pop tracks like 'Wait For Me ft. Natalie Gray' and 'Hot Summer Nights' that will get you moving and tracks like 'Forbidden Treasures ft. Thought Beings', 'Ain't Enough ft. Syst3m' and 'Drown Your Sorrow ft. LAU' guide us through stories of love and heartbreak that anchors the emotional side of Outsider.
The album also produces tracks like 'Neo-Noir' with driving bass lines and catchy synths that are directly for the fans of traditional synthwave whilst songs like 'Last Dance ft. Young Empress' and 'Cloudscape ft. GeoVoc' stride into a more experimental direction showcasing untraditional instrumentation and bold vocals.
Outsider is a smooth blend of contemporary synthwave that draws on elements of traditional 80's pop music whilst incorporating atmospheric, experimental sounds achieving a release that will serve as a fresh paragon in the synthwave/retrowave genre.
