What does outside is void sound like?

Adam Fielding electronica mixed with a shoegazing 80s alt-pop.

The review of outside is void – Light Gazer

It is always a pleasure when an artist truly embraces the album format as part of their concept. Sitting somewhere between electronica and shoegaze-tinged alt-pop circa 1987 is outside is void, the moniker of Thomas Marcus. The definition of an underground artist, his project shuns the usual quickfire TikTok pop squelches for fully formed songs that ask you to bathe in their soundwaves.

Thomas does this first and foremost by making ‘Light Gazer’ almost entirely seamless from track to track. Nearly every track has a proper outro and intro into the next piece as if we taking a space journey. ‘Track’ opens the album with gliding open guitars, shimmering synths and plenty of crunchy moments to bring an element of grit to the track. Marcus’ voice evokes someone who straddles the new romantic era with modern-day darkwave. He has a subtle theatrical delivery and that comes to the fore in the off-kilter chip-crunched ‘Tail’. After the soaring and gliding opener, this melodic warning siren warped into a Fischerspooner/Soft Cell piece brings the kitchen sink drama with layers of complex bleeps, bloops and kaleidoscopic sine waves. I can hear my spaceship falling apart along with my mental health and it’s glorious. There is even a bonus curtain call outro.

photo of Outside Is Void — Outside Is Void

Emotional conflict and a swirling sense of curiosity masked in fear is really where the heart of outside is void’s music lies and ‘Shine’ continues to explore that. The carnival keyboards that slowly unravel into foreboding and brooding bassline throbs mark this track out as a merry-go-round of emotions. What I really like about the melodic nature of this piece is that yes, it sounds like a fear-baiting nightmare but at times the chord structure is allowed to stride out and feel in control. Narratively and sonically, the track is a crossroads. The spoken word ambience of ‘Shore’ suggests that too. We are splitting our consciousness apart from the world around us and it marks the end of the first part of our journey.

Whilst outside is void plays in the esoteric side of electro-pop, ‘Gasoline’ is a shoegaze-drenched radio hit in waiting. Calm, breezy synths hide underneath sizzling overdubs, It is the most direct hooky track on the album and is the perfect place to introduce yourself to the sound. Thomas’ more direct and grizzled vocal reminds me a little of David Bryne. From one extreme to the other, ‘Blue to Cyan to Orange’ is a four minute odyssey in its own right. The track itself has multiple phases as if we are moving down layers of space rock, deeper and darker each phase. The fact there is no rush to reach the cinematic sweeping spacey outro and we work our way to the earned reward makes it all the sweeter too. ‘Petals’ allows for a dreamy space pop track as a vocal duet with Tara Louise. Tara appears on three tracks and her vocals add a lighter air to what is a densely packed bassy sonic landscape already. Tara and Thomas bounce off each other well too.

As we move into the final third of the album, we are greeted with the caustic ambience of ‘Concrete’. It cleanses the ears ahead of the uptempo space pop track ‘End’. Catchy synth riffs, big drums, plenty of bounce and groove and a grimy edge to it all. Even in the poppier melodies, the production keeps things sounding edgier than the melodies should allow. In many ways, I’m reminded of Curve and the production of their electronic rock. They always had a heavy weight to every instrument and brought such power and gravitas to their songs. Fast and slow, it felt dangerous and at times a little seedy. This vibe is exactly what ‘Drop Out (3rd)’ goes for. This bass-forward slinky number is seductive and alluring but ready to bite back. I can feel outside is void’s crown falling from their head as they fall from grace into a lamentable sin. It is so well done and unlike anything else on the album.

This leaves outside is void to leave us with a climactic nine-minute space opera. ‘Far’ is like having an album smashed into a microcosm of a song. Everything that you’ve heard so far is squeezed into an expansive song. It’s a tour-de-force of everything ‘Light Gazer’ does so well. Thomas’ vocals shine brightly as they wash over smudged synths, warbling guitars and a tight beat. Whilst the album fades to rain proper, there are two excellent remixes of ‘Shine’ and ‘Far’ for those that grab the album too. Both dance it up a bit more but are still in keeping with the albums’ mood and production style.

When reading the liner notes and discovering some of these tracks have been in the making for over 22 years, it doesn’t surprise me. Every song is wildly complex and deftly handled. Each computer bleep and whirr swirls the musical milk of the album around the coffee cup of space expertly. Fans of Adam Fielding’s vocal electronic albums will be immediately at home here. Fans of space rock or electronic music with industrial goth elements will also belong at home here too. This album may have been decades in the making but from beginning to end, it is worth every second. A real hidden gem of 2023’s indie music scene.

Recommended track: Gasoline

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