- Wreckless Eric
- Outside World
Two years ago Outside World, cofronted by Hazel Rigby and former Brain Idea bassist Ben Scott, dropped its first songs and quickly became one of my favorite bands in town. The band’s two tape EPs—one self-released, the other on Night-People Records—are full of sunny, jangly indie-pop with a strong 90s influence. When the band first began, Scott said his and Rigby’s goal was to sound like Polaris, the band probably best known for writing the theme song from The Adventures of Pete & Pete. But what I hear is a strong appreciation for seminal indie-rock acts like Guided by Voices, Built to Spill, and even late Husker Du.
A couple of months ago Scott and Rigby took off to New York City, and things on the Outside World front were pretty quiet until yesterday, when they shared the brand-new track, “Wasting Time,” on their Bandcamp page. Drummer Evan Jenkins still lives in Chicago, so on this recording Scott plays drums and performs his usual duties as singer and guitarist. The song shows that the band is growing in a few respects: the arrangement is deliberate and progressive, the production is clean and tight, and the vocal interplay between the two members is sophisticated and pretty. “Wasting Time” is maybe the best Outside World track yet; it’s one of three the band has recorded since arriving in New York, and I can’t wait to hear the other two. Hopefully that’ll be sooner than later.