Outlander "The Valium Machine" 12"

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Having haunted stages across the UK for the best part of a decade, the critical success of their 2024 sophomore full-length ‘Acts of Harm’ gave caustic shoegaze outfit Outlander pa use to reflect on their astounding 2019 debut, ‘The Valium Machine’, soon to be reissued by Pelagic Records on vinyl for the first time. Written and recorded in 2018 over a handful of studio sessions in Stoke-on-Trent, ‘The Valium Machine’ was a formative experience for Outlander in more ways than one. Prior to working on the album, the band would happily describe themselves as your standard, straight-down-the-middle post rock band but an openness to new influences from the ‘90s slowcore and shoegaze scenes, the delicate, textural introduction of vocals and the pivotal decision to track the album in sprawling, full-band takes lead Outlander to fundamentally redefine their sound and scale; adding a pointed sense of dynamic and discordant dirge that lead to the four-piece sharing stages with trailblazing genre heavyweights Bossk and Grivo as well as breathtaking performances at festivals like Dunk! (BE) and ArcTanGent (UK). With beautiful artwork produced in partnership with street photographer Richard Lambert documenting the colourful, everyday life of their beloved Birmingham, the initial run of ‘The Valium Machine’ was limited to a criminally small 50 CDs through tiny local imprint FOMA. Now, five years later, Outlander owe their panoramic pace and formidable, funereal sound to those few days spent in Stoke-on-Trent and the band, along with Pelagic Records, believe this nascent recording deserves to be heard by many, many more. FOR FANS OF: Duster, Codeine, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Kowloon Walled City Show more