Album Review: Go Outside by Eat Defeat (by Emma Prew)

Who releases new music on the 18th of December when everyone is listening to Christmas playlists? Eat Defeat, that’s who! Having been recorded in the spring of 2019, the Leeds-based pop punk band had been sitting on their latest EP, Go Outside, for quite some time. They initially unleashed it into the world back in March this year, when tours were being cancelled left, right and centre, but it was only available to download from Bandcamp for one day. Obviously I downloaded it there and then but as the EP has now had its ‘official’ – albeit unplanned – release, I felt it was time to give these song a proper review.

Summers, Eat Defeat’s bassist, lead vocalist and songwriter, describes Go Outside as ‘5 tracks that we wrote and recorded nearly 2 years ago but probably resonate more with me now than they did then. 5 songs of feeling trapped, uninspired, lonely but always looking forward.’ And if that doesn’t sound like something that’s much needed as the shitshow that is 2020 comes to an end, then you should probably stop reading now.

Go Outside kicks off with Turn-About Ranch as we are greeted by pounding drums and melodic guitars. After a few seconds the vocals come in with Summers uttering ‘Not today, I’m kind of sick and tired of forcing a smile, And I’m sure you are too.’ Eat Defeat sure are good at writing simple yet relatable songs and this is not exception. Turn-About Ranch is about that overwhelming feeling of wanting to hide away from ‘real-life’ while not exactly feeling sad but just feeling okay. It’s a fast paced track that only just surpasses a minute in length but the band manage to pack a lot in, including the introduction of keys which bring a slightly more electronic sound to the EP than you’d perhaps have expected from Eat Defeat previously. It’s a sound that is continued on the second track, Everything Is Broken, with the opening line of ‘Everything is broken, But I’m not, But I’m not.’ featuring plenty of reverb – a striking opening for sure. Those pounding drums and guitars are as apparent as in the first track but they are also joined by an infectious synth-like sound. A continuation of the themes that are covered on Turn-About Ranch, Everything Is Broken is about trying to overcome the despair that keeps you trapped inside, both physically inside your home and inside your own head, and start to make amends. The chorus – which is the same as the opening lines of the song – feels like a triumphant call to arms and is certainly as good as anything on the band’s 2018 album I Think We’ll Be OK.

The third song is titled Panic, a feeling that is emphasised by the urgent guitars that the band open with. The previous two tracks did some things a little differently to existing Eat Defeat material, whereas this feels like the band we already know and love. Both sides of Eat Defeat are great, of course, but with Panic I felt immediately attuned to it and it’s a song I’ve listened to a lot lately. Panic certainly wouldn’t sound at all out of place on I Think We’ll Be OK, particularly with that catchy, instantly sing-along-able chorus – ‘So I’ll wait ’til the panic sinks in, The water’s rising, The pressures building. I can’t focus on anything, Until my heart slows, Just keep on breathing in and out.’ The song has obviously been written as a way for Summers to deal with his own feelings of anxiety but I think it can also be a comfort to anyone who might be feeling similar things.

Chance Would Be A Fine Thing is the name of the fourth song and the band show no signs of slowing down as the track opens with a frantic guitar riff. With the opening lyrics of the song offering a nice little nod to where the band have come from – ‘I watched you walk away, You said I think we’ll be okay.’ – the song feels more direct and distinctly personal than the others, as Summers sings of feeling lonely and missing someone dear to him who lives in a different timezone. I’ll be honest, it’s the kind of subject matter that I often cringe at, especially in pop punk music, but with Eat Defeat it just feels so sincere and genuine. There’s also some brilliant harmonies at the end of the song – damn, I miss seeing Eat Defeat live! The last track on Go Outside is Wake Up. Like Panic, this is a song I’ve listened to a lot this year – partly because it was actually released as a single all the way back in January, before the world imploded. The track has it all, from super catchy melodies and euphoric harmonies to rousing lyrics that make you want to throw your hands in the air and shout ‘Yes! I know exactly what you mean and how you feel’. The whole thing sounds huge and the breakdown around the halfway point of the song further emphasises this before leading us into some of the most poignant lyrics of the whole EP. ‘It took a long, long time, To write down what was on my mind, I couldn’t do this without you, And I don’t think that I’d want to. I can’t stop myself from falling apart, But I hope that you can, And I hope that you will.’ 

The release of Go Outside may not have gone quite as planned for Eat Defeat but I’m so glad that it’s now out there in the world for all to hear. This EP is brilliant and certainly some of the best material the band have produced to date and it really has me excited to see and hear what they do next.

If Go Outside happened to pass you in December by please make sure you check it out now, you won’t regret it.

Stream and download Go Outside on Bandcamp and like Eat Defeat on Facebook.

This review was written by Emma Prew.