Out On The Weekend - Tunnel Vision
I’m a bit tardy to the party on this one but if you are looking for “a collection of songs that begs to be played in a dark basement full of sweaty friends drinking PBR (when it’s safe to do so)”, then you needn’t go any further than Out On The Weekend’s latest and second full-length album, ‘Tunnel Vision’. While I had previously reviewed this band before Swept Media officially became a part of Leclair Studios, there has been a shift in the membership of Out On The Weekend since. The band split shortly after the release of their first album back in 2017 but Nathan Scholz saw no reason that the band couldn’t continue simply under his direction and composition. Aware of the work it takes to create, produce and promote one’s own music, I certainly have a soft spot for the artist who decides, against convention, to carry on and keep playing. Given that, let’s dig into the music!
‘Throw Away Your Television’ if you start to hear the directive from The Outer Limits! What a classic entrance into an album followed up by a thick bass line that everyone can groove to. There is a trippy element of chill Cali rock to this track that certainly sets a specific mood. Think Cake but with a dorm-room micro hit of mushrooms to unsettle things in just the right way. The elements of psychedelia in this piece are not necessarily subtle but are surely not overwhelming and they play well with the sort of kick-back-and-relax vibe that this album pushes so effortlessly.
If you think about all of the things you’ve done in your life instead of the things you’ve wanted to do, you might end up getting a little ‘Distracted’. This tune directly confronts the 9-5 life that many of us have been dragged into to simply get by in what is ultimately a laughable society. The fact that Scholz is “taking [his] time, all alone” moving at his own pace gives hope that we could put aside worries and maybe find a way to find some degree of peace and enjoyment in the brief lives we all have. I love the harmonized chorus that doubles down on the chilled-out quality that is the foundation of this album. Even the guitar solo with its prominent effects, plays out in a way that is engaging yet seemingly slower a pace than the listener may be used to.
Here is an interesting piece, for sure, at least for those who are familiar with Out On The Weekend. Their first album was entitled ‘Last Day In Paradise’ and this song of the same name seems to hearken back to the days when the band was together, sharing great times, not knowing that it would all come crashing down at some point, like it has with so many other groups. This track is a wonderful and heartfelt cap on what the band was so that Out On The Weekend can continue as the sole project of Nathan Scholz. There is an interesting line about the villain being on top in this one that makes me wonder if Nathan is admitting to some wrongdoing or if he is referring to someone else from the band who feels they won the war in some other way. Regardless of what I read into the song, the passion behind it is clear and, while chill, it is driving and determined. The guitar solo kicks in with just the right amount of grit and heartache that it could clearly serve as the vehicle through which Scholz fully severed ties with the band’s past.
If there was a track that might be ‘Losing Grip’ at some point in this album, I think it may be this one. As part of the melange of 90s, Indie, and modern twist, there is a strange vocal throwback to early do-wop rock that does come across as a bit awkward. However, I think this is actually intentional given that the track is very much about feeling uncomfortable in one’s own skin. I would very much like to know just who the female vocalist is on this track as she really does add a sort of punk feel along with a stability in the attitude with which she hammers out the lyrics as well as a vaulted allure in her harmonies. I couldn’t find her name in the credits on Spotify but I hope it ends up there soon enough. This track really makes me picture a sort of teen anthem in the way it describes trudging through life while ‘Losing Grip’.
While my college years were different as I seldom ended up at the ‘After Party’, this is a very college-relevant track, coming to a sort of realization of what happens after the music ends. Losing keys, drinking one’s self to sleep, just needing to disappear; embarrassed and anti-social…I think this track rings true for more people than it should. There is an accompanying video to this tune that does reflect the discomfort of being left out, wanting to be left out, over-indulging and awkward interactions that all go with the party lifestyle and, to a greater degree, the ‘After Party’ lifestyle. There is a very interestingly uplifting synth that rolls through the piece, including a solo that makes for a fun juxtaposition as well.
We all know that life can be pretty ‘Mundane’ and this track gives that very vibe right from the get-go. It is incredibly subdued off the top and plays out in the same way. What makes this track so interesting is the intentionally almost-boring way it’s composed in order to promote what is a very clever and real love song simply saying that he wants to “do the ‘Mundane’ with you.” I love the realism involved with this piece. Just wanting to have to pay bills and stand in lines and kill time with someone. It’s not dramatic or romantic but it is honest and still very loving. I would say that true love is finding that someone you want to do all the boring shit with and this track plays to that very sentiment.
And now for something completely different, I must say that this tune is the most heartfelt and simultaneously heartbreaking of the whole album. It also shows off the vocal ability of Scholz more than any one tune on the album. Of course, I am always a sucker for the ballad on a given album but I can only say good things about this beautifully depressing song. The idea of there being “no one left at home” since walking down the ‘Streets’ “after your funeral…all alone…past your home” is tear-jerking for sure. Especially with the chilling vocal performance as Scholz goes for the highs with harrowing intensity”.
That all being said, it seems the journey through this album may have taken me ‘Everywhere and Nowhere’ at the same time. This track has a flavour of The Tragically Hip, for sure. From the rhythm to stilted guitar riff (and tone) to the interspersed guitar licks, there is definitely a feeling of that iconic 90s Alt-Rock band. Even some of the vocal play is reminiscent of the late Gord Downie. This album was clearly a journey for Scholz and while he did much soul searching through the process, it is interesting how this final track could very much be a reflection of the separation from the rest of the band, or perhaps a loss of love (as is so standard in music the world over). “I’m not sure who I am anymore…it’s not the same without you here anymore”…this album is a story of loss and discovery, without a doubt. The questions that remain for me?
Is this the literal and physical loss of a loved one and the crashing, burning and picking one’s self up after the fact? Or is this the loss of friends and what was once a cohesive band…with the same course of events to follow?
I wouldn’t say that all the tracks on this piece are meant for PBR basement parties, but if you got a close group of friends you can share a bevy with and discuss life’s whimsies and woes, then this would certainly be an interesting album to delve into. If you find yourself Out On The Weekend, living in some sort of perpetual state of ‘Tunnel Vision’, I’d suggest sitting in a darkened room and giving this album a spin until your vision clears.
