The best way to describe Over It’s major label debut Step Outside Yourself is as a giant coming out party for everyone involved. The vocals are strong and impressive, the lyrics are poignant and refreshing, the guitars are predominately displayed, the bass is powerful, the drums blistering, and the production flawless. Every single aspect of this album is a step above everyone’s past work and in reaching this new plateau the album sits a step above their peers as well.
The time is ripe, the stage is set, and the curtains drawn. If there was ever a time when the phrase “the next big thing” was perfectly fitting – that time would be now.
Over It have released a variety of material to this date. With Timing is Everything we saw a faster speed driven and technical album while Silverstrand gave us more of a pop-punk feel. With Step Outside Yourself the band have combined their previous work and added layers on top of it to craft an album that feels unique yet familiar. The album is immediately enjoyable for it’s hooks and catchy tunes; however, it’s the pro-longed listen that allows you to capture the essence at the root of this project.
The opener begins with a strumming acoustic guitar and as the melody sets in the drums crash through your speakers. The double-bass hits hard and it’s immediately apparent the band has focused on their instrumentation on this album. This is a theme that will be reoccurring throughout the rest of the CD. The songs are all very guitar/riff orientated and it is these instrumentals that propel the listener through the disc. Combining Autopilot Off, Jimmy Eat World, Don’t Look Down, and Bodyjar, the new album offers something refreshing and new to the listener. Each song comes with a coherent yet unique stylistic sound, and it’s as a whole that the album truly shines. The opener is, to be honest, how I expected the new Yellowcard album to sound. It’s how the new Yellowcard album should have sounded. Clever and quick delivery over an impressive barrage of instrumentation kick the album off in a perfect manner.
“Gunslinger,” the second track on the disc, reminds me of “Waiting” on the band’s last album. It’s a good song, but nothing spectacular. It does however showcase the step-up producer Mike Green has taken. Sonically, this song (and album), are fantastic. The layers, the clean sounds, the tones, are brilliant. While other producers may have a “buzz” at the moment while maintaining the same sound on every album – Mike Green is improving with every disc he touches. This is his creme de la creme. If this album explodes (like it should) Mr. Green may very well be producing the biggest names in the industry in a few years (and if he keeps up this level of quality, he should).
“Siren on the 101” was redone and it sounds massive. I like it better than the original for the production alone. Peter’s vocals have also gotten more powerful which really lends itself well to this song. There are a few songs that fit well into the construct of the album “Too Much Information,” “Dishonor Disorder,” and “Feels like Affection” – and then there are those that stand out and really drive the album forward. These include the best song on the album “Your Song,” poppy “Where the Sky Begins,” ballad filled “Energy,” rocker “Come Out With Your Hands Up,” dancy “Mr. Serious” and album closer “Satellites.” The album is missing a track like “Ignore the Noise” but I feel as though they make up for it by fully embracing and realizing the band they are. A track like that wouldn’t fit in and would give a schizophrenic feel.
The album breathes – each song fitting perfectly in it’s place to make a cohesive work of art. It begs to be played at top volume. It pleads to be understood and appreciated for each line, each guitar part, each thundering bass-line, and each crash of the drums. In the end, Step Outside Yourself is the album the band’s been teasing us they could make for the past few years. Ultimately, it should be the album that makes them a house-hold name. Coincidently, it’s also the album that has lifted the band even further up my “favorite artists” list. The act of building on their previous work coupled with the maturation and dedication to writing good solid songs, leaves the listener completely fulfilled.
Our website’s motto is “Music Mends Broken Hearts” – and as this album proves, I’m not just the founder, I’m also our biggest customer. The songs have a very strong emotional meaning to me – the line in “Satellites” that reminds us that life “is short but it takes it’s sweet time getting started” hits a heart-string that I can’t even explain. I could not recommend this album any more – it’s sure to be one of my favorites of the year, and it exemplifies everything I look for in my music. It may not be the most “unique” or the most “indie” or “shocking” – but it’s absolutely everything I want and need. Step Outside Yourself has risen the bar for not only this band but I would also consider it subsequently raised for everyone else in this genre as well.