The Foreign Resort – Outnumbered

Given everything that has been going on this past 18 months with coronavirus and COVID-19, it does a feel bit too close for comfort whenever I hear The Foreign Resort’s Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen sing “It’s all dead/It’s all in gloom.” (Of course, Outnumbered was released April 2019, so how, exactly, was a post-punk trio from Denmark supposed to know that a pandemic would sweep the globe less than a year later?) Indeed, now does seem a bit of an odd time to be listening to an album like Outnumbered. An album that begins with death (figurative or otherwise) and ends with these cheery lines: “Inside, nothing but darkness/Hopes have drowned/And we are few.” But reading recent interviews with the band reveals that such lyrics aren’t simply some gothier-than-thou attempt at nihilism and misanthropy. Rather, the album and its dark lyrics are a response to, as Jakobsen puts it, “feeling very alone in the world today against a huge mass of ignorant people that just hate.”
So, what prevents Outnumbered from wallowing in the mire? Put simply, these eleven songs go right for the jugular with a bracing blend of razor-sharp post-punk and chilly synth-pop that — most important of all — is supremely catchy. Sure, the band trades in icy synths and slashing guitars, but these songs are replete with hooks galore that are guaranteed to set your feet a‑tapping while preventing the album’s pessimism from bringing you down too much. A perfect example of this is album highlight “Hearts Fade Out.” Even if you’re not necessarily feeling lyrics like “Hearts fade out, turns into violence” and “the hatred grows old deep inside you” that lament betrayal and the loss of innocence, it’s hard to deny the song’s pulsing synths and banging rhythms. And those glassy, Cure-ish guitars? Well, they’re just the icing on the cake.
And speaking of The Cure, I’m sure the trio have probably grown tired of the Robert Smith comparisons, but if you’ve ever wondered what Pornography might sound like filtered through the great dance-punk revival of the early ’00s, then look no further than the title track. Ominous guitars and swirling effects, Jakobsen’s howling voice, the perfectly ironic balance between bleakness and radio-friendly catchiness — it’s all there, and it closes the album in exhilarating fashion.
Indeed, “exhilarating” might be the best word to describe Outnumbered. While nobody would ever mistake The Foreign Resort for optimists, their latest album is proof that fear, anxiety, and pessimism can provide a great deal of creative energy and restlessness. Obviously, things can’t stay there forever — we have to find hope in something to make it all worthwhile — but the current global climate proves we’re not there yet. In the meantime, The Foreign Resort have written a good soundtrack for troubling times such as these.

The Foreign Resort - Part Time Punks Sessions

In 2017 Danish trio The Foreign Resort travelled across North America, performing at festivals and small venues to spread their post-punk / New Wave genius. While on a stopover in Los Angeles, they recorded four songs live in the studio. They opted to release the Part Time Punks Sessions Live EP which demonstrates how great The Foreign Resort sound regardless of the setting, which partially explains why people in Denmark flock to their gigs. With the harrowing dark tones of Pornography-era The Cure, the starkness of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and the luminescent shoegaze of A Place To Bury Strangers and My Bloody Valentine, “Suburban Depression” is a hammering number whose sole purpose is to nail us in our place and experience its episodic nature. Listen closely to the lyrics as well because, despite it being written over two years ago, the song’s message still very much applies to modern times. Ours is a world that is losing its mind, and we’re all crumbling down into our “own private hell”.

Damned And To Hell With It - The Foreign Resort & Then Comes Silence

I'm popping down to London this very day, a spot of shopping before my birthday and a gig tonight with two of my very favourite bands. I can't actually take all three of you with me, but as I am a kind and sharing kinda guy/gurl (mysteries of the flesh) it seemed that I should re-up this dark and melodic file brimmed full with the two bands that I'm going to be drinking with later. So, as we’re all going to hell anyways, I thought (it's going to be a very stressful day) that I would share some quieter moments with the collected stinking mass of humanity who happen upon this small oasis on a regular basis. By quieter, I actually mean noisier, but sitting alone in a darkened room, headphones (because pods just ain’t gonna cut it) at the ready, volume at 11 and that familiar crackle as the needle touches down. You slide the ‘phones down over your ears, eager to listen, and with baited breath, ready to sing along.

Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!

Fuck Yeah! I know how to live my best life.

The American Dream

Following up their 2014 album New Frontiers, the Danish trio Foreign Resort blasted this emotionally charged and atmospherically moving 5 track EP. The EP sounds like the band picked their favourite bits of the best post punk around with elements of The Cure, Joy Division, and XTC appearing somewhere in the sound. The result is a collection of truly magnificent songs! ‘The New Blood’ sounds like a new age version of New Order. The track races through with great energy, with a gritty atmosphere buried beneath taking you though dark and cold street corners where the lights are all broken. ‘Suburban Depression’ is perhaps the most apt song title around in terms of describing how the song sounds. The music is dark and eerie, dragging you along feeling the grim, dreary outlook. The fantastic vocals both add the narrative to match the soundtrack and provide immense feeling in every syllable. ‘Onto Us’ brings in an amazing mix of Faith and Unknown Pleasures. The music has an energetic pace to it while also having a distant and bleak industrial atmosphere. ‘Under Bright Neon Stars’ acts as a kind of light at the end of the tunnel, bringing in a sweet and lighter poppy sound, sounding like The Cure’s brighter poppy moments driven along with a Robert Smith-esq lead guitar. The EP closes with the racy ‘Skyline/Decay’. The faint vocals combined with the echoing sounds create a dark foggy atmosphere like you are wondering through a forest in the middle of winter. This is a truly fantastic EP. All manner of emotions, vivid imagery and atmosphere is felt across the tracks.

The Foreign Resort - Orange Glow

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, the band combines the shadowy mysticism of The Cure’s Pornography era with a driving production aesthetic akin to LCD Soundsystem. Intricate reverb-enveloped guitar lines glide over the motorik bass and powerful drumming, all while the taut and sincere vocal demands your attention. ‘Orange Glow’ deserves a special mention for its dark hard hitting atmospheric edginess, driving, guitar-laden music with a slight 80′s new wave and post-punk feel. Remnants of Killing Joke and Joy Division lay in the Foreign Resort’s wake as they pick up random sonic body parts left by bands ranging from The White Lies to U2. The slower movements are sparse, cold, and emotional, earth wrenching enough to make Ian Curtis smile.

I’ve touched on The Foreign Resort before with their Part Time Punks session release. Here you have access to their earlier, harsher, darker release The Foreign Resort, a cold-blooded, solid and brutal crowbar of an EP that really should open doors, with this two track sampler that is so very more-ish.