Bear with us on this train of thought, okay? It’s a pretty masterful thing when an artist unleashes such a killer lead single and then it (almost) ends up being steamrolled by what the rest of the album it’s apart of holds. Okay, well, maybe not steamrolled but maybe a little overshadowed? In regards to this particular case and The Far Out’s newest LP and how “Laurel” fits in: it’s a stand out on an album of stand out’s. Which is undeniable! Because “Laurel” slays. As much as the songs that bookend it do. And as much as the other 5 songs that make 8 in total for Greetings from The Far Out do.
There is SO much to love throughout Greetings from The Far Out even if Funk and Soul aren’t necessarily your thang because the beauty of The Far Out’s new collection of tunes is that it’s an all encompassing hybrid sound that’s a little Funk Rawk and a little Soul Pop nestled under an Alternative blanket.
“Need A Win”, for us, is a fun send up of The Blues Brothers with bass lines from Ryan Fremont-Smith sounding like Donald Dunn and a horn section (Colin Senechal on saxophone, Ellie Dolan on trumpet, and Fremont-Smith on sax as well) that completely captures the vibe of that entire iconic early ’80’s flick.
“Funkadelic Gas” is the first body of music in a looooooong time to remind us of the mighty Oingo Boingo with the frenetic, razor sharp horns that open it up but then it all gets tripped up as it slips into an Ohio Players meets The Time mash-up with vocals sashaying between Morris Day’s brand of cool and Jay Kay’s silky smooth deliveries in Jamiroquai. Speaking of the creators of “Virtual Insanity”, “Lazy Lover” has some of that modern Dance/Funk feel but only if Mama Cass fronted the band instead of Kay with the way that Olivia Lowe’s vocals unfold here.
Elsewhere, “Putt Strut” comes out horns ablazin’ before Senechal’s guitars and Fremont-Smith’s bass lines play off each other and later off of Henry Zagarella’s keys with some kooky vocal lines straight out of a Fred Schneider-uttered track from The B-52’s. Believe it or not, “Long Weekend” actually slows things down for the first time (For those keeping track, we’re at track 6 of 8 right now) but is big on Motown-like Soul as Drew Phillips’ drumming and Fremont-Smith’s low end keep the thumpin’ thick.
Heading towards the end, “Packed to Go” delivers a blistering bop led by Lowe’s Soulful croon followed by “See Red (You’re Dead)” bringing a modern Average White Band edge to The Far Out’s fabulous sound.
Greetings from The Far Out is out now and you can be the first in your neighborhood to hear it when you head here. For more from The Far Out, including all the deets on upcoming Summer celebration shows like the just announced appearance at Riverfest 2025 at Broadway Boardwalk in Salisbury Beach on August 23rd with Gavin Merengi, Buffalo Tom, and Belly (Get more info on that one here), hit up all the socials when you click here, here, or here.