ALBUM REVIEW: GASOLINE OUTLAWS “Light Up The World” With New Album
Belfast based GASOLINE OUTLAWS release their second album on 5th April 2019, Light Up the World, which follows their successful album No Rules, No Laws, No Regrets which was launched in 2015. Light Up The World was produced on the back of a successful Pledge Campaign, by Frankie McClay at Einstein Studios. GASOLINE OUTLAWS had guidance from Cormac Neeson of The Answer on a number of tracks for this album.
GASOLINE OUTLAWS are made up of Matt Fitzsimons on vocals, Adam Parkin on guitar, Chris Fitzsimons on bass and Ryan Hood on drums, and they were joined by John McCullough, who provides then piano and Hammond Organ. Pre Orders are available now from www.gasolineoutlaws.bigcartel.com for CDs and on iTunes and Google Play for the digital versions.
Having had the pleasure of seeing Gasoline Outlaws play live and loving their first album I was holding my breath to see if this album could match the physical joy and intensity of seeing them perform and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all. Light Up The World is a polished gem of an album that sparkles from the first track to the last and gets better and better with every listen. There is a real sense of the band growing into their sound and musicianship with this album.
Kicking things off with the title track of the album Light Up The World has precise drumming ably supported by the bass until the buzzy guitar streams in, filling out the sound and letting your eardrums know you are in for a treat with this album. There are some changes in pace and direction, allowing Adam to show off his considerable skills whilst allowing Matts vocals to determinedly shine. The vocals are stridently imploring us to “Find a way to start again.”
Get ready for your toes to start tapping with Livin’ This Way as it has such a great melody that you will find it impossible to stay still. Bass and guitar pulse along, woven with shimmering licks that lighten the texture, whilst adding an extra layer. The drums rattle and throb with the bass brings interest with short, sharp staccato flourishes. The whole track has a stadium vibe, assisted by the superb vocal quality of Matt.
Better Days Coming features guest vocals by Amy Montgomery and boy does she add another dimension. This is a track you could hear on any radio station and it would put a massive smile on your face. Amy’s vocals enhance Matts and are so perfectly suited you wonder why they don’t sing together more. This is another massive track, brilliant and pared back drumming winds around the earthy riff and raspy bass. I absolutely loved this track as it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, giving a nod to past classic rock sounds but bought up to date in 3 minutes 44 seconds of sheer delightfulness. Bliss!
I loved the feel of Where We Started as it has an almost Eastern vibe, slightly off kilter and keeping you on your toes, wondering what is coming next. Taking things, a great deal more slowly, allows the emotion to flood out of the vocals, which the piano reinforces. The guitar work is simply sublime, achingly beautiful and atmospheric. The track has an ethereal quality as the textures float across your senses, drum and bass adding depth which allows the vocals and guitar to be unleashed and manifest themselves, being both strident and touchingly vulnerable.
Discordant guitars cease the striking drumming as Psycho forces its way in, moving effortlessly between softer sections before ramping everything up to 11. The way this track changes tempo builds the drama and intrigue, one moment you are begging for a moment to catch your breath and then everything changes, allowing your ears to catch up before building again. Featuring some hard hitting words, The System Is A Lie holds a mirror to the world and our part in it. Angular bass, demanding to be heard, with forceful drumming provides an impenetrable layer for vocals to swagger over, whilst piercing riffs spring from the guitar.
Fight For One More Day is a track that is in your face from the get go, poking and prodding and up for the fight. Hard, gritty and determined, creating an explosive cacophony of sound, punchy and strong. This will leave you breathless but with a smile from ear to ear.
Time for another paired back track Executed, shows a different side to the band. The guitar with the piano is replete with emotional intensity and allows the vocals from Matt to really shine and what they can deliver, when stripped back. It is beautiful, moving but still packing a real punch. The words sound as though they come from the heart and you can hear the sentiment that I feel sure everyone will relate to on some level.
I have heard Breathe Again played live and it almost blew my socks off! It is a quality rock track, with a passionate chorus that will surely have you singing along. Barking bass melds with aggressive drumming, making a thick wall of sound that lifts you off your feet, howling guitar interplays with the vocals, making this feel like a vociferous conversation between the two.
Hard Times is the closing track and packs a punch. You can see the hands being waved in the air as this track gets played live. Dynamic and strident drumming overlaid with a vibrant bass and grinding guitar, sonorous and resonant. The vocals really match the gritty nature, evocative and with an amount of attitude that feels just about right. A true anthemic track to finish one belter of an album with.
So, if you questioned if this album would be as good as No Rules, No Laws, No Regrets then please forget all about that and go and order a copy of this album! When it turns up, stick it on as loud as you like and immerse yourself in its splendour and quality. You will find that the more you play it the more you hear. This is a very grown up and accomplished album and I cannot wait for the opportunity to hear these tracks live.
Review by Samantha Lamb for Metal Planet Music
