Outsider is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on March 9, 2018 through RCA Records. The album was produced by two of the band's prior producers, Gavin Brown and Howard Benson but also by members of the band themselves. It is the second album to feature Matt Walst as lead vocalist. The album was preceded by the release of its first single, "The Mountain".
Background and recording
Once the tour for their 2015 album Human concluded, the band decided to take time off to work on the next album "in as much isolation as possible," according to drummer Neil Sanderson. The band desired, Sanderson explained, to "get a break and find the space to create." To accomplish this, the group spent a year writing at rural properties owned by Sanderson and bassist Brad Walst. The first song they wrote was the album's lead single, "The Mountain". According to Brad Walst, the group wrote and recorded around 20 songs, selecting the album tracks by "vibe" in order for the album to have "a good sequence to it." Talking about the themes found on the album, Sanderson said "I think there's a common thread that talks about how to navigate your way through modern life and being bombarded by information and feelings and beliefs... We don't have all the answers here, but we definitely do bring up the topic a lot." He also revealed that lead vocalist Matt Walst was much more involved in the songwriting, messages, and concepts than on Human, which was Matt's first since joining the band in 2013. Brad Walst also stated that the album is about "the journey to find your place." The backgroundelectronic aspects of the album were influenced by Bring Me the Horizon's 2015 album That's the Spirit.
Singles
The band released the first single with two promotional tracks to back the album's release. "The Mountain" was released as the first single on January 25, 2018 and was accompanied by a music video. This single was followed by the album's title track, "I Am an Outsider", on February 16, 2018. "Right Left Wrong" was released as the third and final song to promote the album on March 2, 2018. On June 12, "Infra-Red" was released as the band's second single from the album. On November 13, 2018, the band released the album's opening track, "Right Left Wrong", as the third single for radio airplay.
Critical reception
Outsider was met with positive reviews and it is considered a sizable improvement from their previous work with Matt Walst, Human. Kate Drexel of Music Existence gave a very positive review, ending it by saying that it is what fans truly hope to hear, and giving it 5/5. Distorted Sound magazine gave 8/10 by saying that for the first time in twelve years, they deserve to be a band worth listening to, and that "Canada's resident underdogs returned". Salute magazine in a less positive review gave the album a 3/5 but it also said that it is a solid effort with some honest, unhindered, and unhinged music.
