REVIEW

The second album from Birmingham-based UK post-metal/shoegaze band Outlander.

The album was recorded by Ian Grant (Gt/Vo), Joseph House (Gt), Dan Jones (Bass), and Jack Davis (Dr). Since then, Aaron Buckell (Gt/Syn) has joined the lineup, expanding the band into a five-piece configuration.

Building on the slowcore-, post-rock-, and doomgaze-inflected foundation established on their debut, this release appears to move toward a sound that is quieter, more melancholic, and ultimately more destructive in its emotional force. Unhurried tempos leave generous space between notes, with reverberation filling the gaps; within this submerged, oceanic shimmer, weary whispers echo and linger. Over time, the music seems to plant a vague sense of unease and isolation deep within the listener—a record well suited to solitary listening in a darkened room, much like its cover art suggests.

A standout moment arrives with #2 “Want To More.” It opens with a brooding introduction that recalls Katatonia’s “Code Against the Code,” before gradually building in volume and density until the listener is engulfed by a black, turbulent mass of sound. The sensation is less of escalation than of being slowly pulled under, as if guided by unseen hands into thick, lightless sludge. Its extended runtime and patient descent are particularly effective.

Equally slow and somber, #5 “New Motive Power” offers a different kind of weight. The restrained middle section conveys a striking loneliness, drifting through what feels like a dark, empty cosmos. Slow, dark, and heavy—these are often cited as the three core elements of music steeped in darkness, and this track articulates them with clarity.

Following the release of this album, Outlander announced their move to Pelagic Records, a respected home for post-oriented heavy music. If anything, this transition suggests that the band is poised to deliver even deeper and more unsettling emotional waves in the years ahead.