Drawing us in with a bold and rhythmic stacked introduction, expanding into a cinematic and dramatic alternative rock soundscape featuring drums, guitar and bass, Limit State open Out Loud with an assertive ferocity. The opus expands with vulnerable, thought-provoking prose and an energy that fans of Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, and Placebo would absolutely be able to connect with.
There is no doubt that Limit State is intelligently written and holds a cinematic allure. We could imagine the track being featured in a TV show like The Day of the Jackal, or a movie like the Oscar-winning, One Battle After Another.
In essence, the song is about genuinely wanting to love and give everything to another person. In a lot of ways it is super relatable, but feels emotionally blocked by unresolved notions. Limit State know they need to be honest and “say it out loud”, per the hook of the song, yet they cannot fully understand or overcome what is holding them back.
The repeated idea that “something got left behind” taps into the idea of a past wound, loss, or unmet needs. All we know is that this absence is affecting their ability to connect in the present, which feels zeitgeist and universally relatable. Overall, it feels like a confession of emotional frustration.
Speaking on the release, frontman Damen Easton tells us, “Out Loud is the opening track for the album. Lyrically, it’s probably the most straight forward song on the album. Not very figurative or metaphorical. It describes its issue plainly and serves as a sort of prologue for the rest of the album, laying out an underlying current that affects everything else.”
On a sonic niveau, we love how Limit State deliver a fusion of heavy art rock, punk and jagged, dissonant experimentation. All the while, Damen’s vocals remain intimate and reflective with screamo motifs filled with passion and a stadium ready energy. The guitar solo is simply transcendental and would be wild to experience live.
For some background on the story behind Limit State, the project began with a promise Damen made to guitarist Dave Wolfberg: after collaborating on The Dark Corners and The Stars, he wanted to write something that would allow Dave to really shred. The project also features Nicolas Dinucci on bass, Till Richter on drums and Chris King on production.
Beyond the personal narrative, Out Loud is also designed to introduce the broader themes running through the album: alienation, disconnection, the search for something real, and the ways larger societal tensions find their way into individual lives. Needless to say, we are obsessed and have added Out Loud to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of the band, including Eat Their Young, and Ready or Not.