A full six years have passed since celebrated Scottish indie darlings The Beta Band split, and the intervening period has been no bed of roses.
While former BB cohort Gordon Anderson has had moderate success with the buoyant, psychedelic pop of The Aliens, frontman Mason continued to battle manic depression. Has also released a series of low key, yet well received albums under the monikers King Biscuit Time and The Black Affair.
However, his recent decision to record Boys Outside hinted at an artist preparing to make a bold statement.
First off, he cleverly enlisted celebrated pop producer Richard X (Sugababes, Kelis). It was a wise choice. Philips’ pop sensibility was a natural counterbalance to Mason’s more experimental yearnings. Gone are the hip-hop/folk/reggae mash-ups, replaced by delicate piano/ guitar melodies.
Mason’s troubled lyrics were smothered by the stylistic haze of previous projects. In contrast, Boys Outside’s lush, uncluttered sound brings fresh focus to his musings on despair and misfortune. It’s a deeply personal record and at times an uncomfortable listen. ‘The Letter’ steers a beautiful course through the raw emotion of lost love and suffering, while the stand-out ‘Lost and Found’ melds themes of heartbreaking melancholy to dramatic soulful electronica, “Fifteen years in the dark I quiver, no one to hold me, stop me shiver”. A minor masterpiece of misery.

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