However, every now and then you'll come across a band (usually out of nowhere) that surprises you. It's not always through forcing a sense of innovation, but just by producing a sound that displays creativity while showing off originality.
That's exactly what I found when I discovered Outline in Color. The Tulsa 6 piece had some pretty high praise on their self titled debut EP, and from pure word of mouth I purchased it on iTunes. I waited for what I thought would be a generic 5 song release to play through and move on to what I was preferably listening to at the time, but as would be the case every now and then, I was caught off guard and found myself enjoying it from first listen. The hooks were epic, the breakdowns contagious, and the vocals superb. This isn't a review of the EP, but a recount of how from the first play of OIC, they managed to reel me in. They weren't trying to forcefully combine elements from different genres, they effortlessly put their own stamp on a combination of electronically influenced post-hardcore. And it's a fantastic listen to say the least!With high praise from the hardcore community and an even higher anticipated full length album not far off, I spoke to guitarist See Jay Cochran about all things OIC and their plans for the near future!
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How would you guys describe your sound, or genre? It seems like it’d be pretty hard to pin you guys down to being just a post-hardcore band.
Yeah, I can't say we are going for a specific genre or sound. Sure,
we want to make catchy break down parts but we also want catchy epic
chorus' and everything in between that. No matter which genre we were
to label ourselves, someone would argue about it, haha.
Where does the band draw its influences from?
This one is a bit crazy. Everyone in the band has totally different
influences. The only band that ALL members like that's near our genre
of music is Pierce The Veil. I personally am influenced by Brand New,
Alexisonfire, Senses Fail. I know that Trevor loves more hardcore such
as The Ghost Inside. KC loves Afi and Green Day a bunch. Austin loves
Foo Fighters and a lot of heavier metal bands. Forrest I believe would
be any old school rock band or new indie pop music. And Skaggs.. his
influence is cats.
Over 17,000 Facebook fans with just the EP release under the bands belt, why do you think that release was such a success?
Well, our EP has been out for a solid two years now I think? haha.
So, we've had plenty of time to promote and get the EP out there. It's
also sold in some stores in Japan which most likely helped our fan
base as well. If you don't have that EP by now then what are you even
thinking?!
What’s the latest update with the full length you guys are working on? So far we’ve gotten a look at one song and it’s safe to say it’s pretty anticipated.Ah, the full length. Well, we tracked it like 7 months ago I
believe? Ridiculous, we know. It's done. It's ready to go. We had some
issues and we were trying to figure some things out which has held
back the release. But, we are issue free and looking to post a
statement and more about the album very very soon. It's ready for you
guys, I can say that.
In regards to the album, is it sticking to that same sound or are you pushing it further and looking to progress and tweak the style we saw on the EP?
I think our sound has changed a lot from the EP to full length. Not
necessarily changed style wise or we sound like a different band. It's
just noticeably more mature and much more real and means a lot more to
us I would say. We really worked hard on writing and recording this
album. We went through several different producer changes and all
that. But, we got the final product and we love it.
What are the bands touring plans like for the future?
Well, we plan to get the album out and tour to support it
immediately following. We want to tour A LOT. I know there are a ton
of kids out there asking us to come to this city and that city. We
want to be in EVERY city, we promise. Can't wait to get on the road
and meet you guys. Shooting for our first tour within this year!
It’s been a while since your new clean vocalist K.C stepped into the band, was switching vocalists an easy transition? It seems like his voice bodes well with the older songs!
Yeah, K.C. is amazing and he just fit so well. We found him on
Youtube, haha. He lived in Boston and basically dropped his life to
come join us. So, I'd say the hardest part of K.C. joining the band is
the fact that he had to go through a complete change and drop a lot of
his current life to be a part of our band. And we do appreciate what
he's done.
Favourite thing about playing guitar in Outline in Color..GO!
My favorite thing is that I can tell Forrest to suck it up and play
both guitar parts live while I eat corn dogs on stage. :]
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You can check out Outline in Color and like their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/outlineincolor
Their music is available for purchase on the iTunes store here: http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/outline-in-color-ep/id394255187
