EXCLUSIVE STREAM: We Outspoken – “Musicomania”
We Outspoken have been banging around the Canadian pop-punk scene for some time now, gigging with the likes of Pennywise, The 
Ataris, Gob, Die Mannequin, and others.
Since 2008, the band – Anthony Mascarin (lead vocals), Alex Mascarin (drums), Chris Andrews (bass), and Joe Manchisi (guitar, vocals) – have released a pair of albums and an EP, but next week (November 13) they will officially unleash their latest rocking effort, Musicomania.
We Outspoken has chosen Riffyou.com as the exclusive home for a pre-release stream of Musicomania. You can listen to the EP below, as well as read Anthony’s thoughts about it.
RY: Most bands usually have a direction that they really want to pursue and achieve on each record. What direction were you hoping to go on this one, and do you think you achieved it?
Anthony: “Yeah, we definitely achieved what we wanted this record to sound like. We went with very organic sounds. We took it as far as recording the drums up north at a cottage with cathedral ceilings. We wanted this recording to suit the music and current writing style. We also wanted a lot of clarity and depth in the master, so we hired Leon Zervos (303 Studios in Australia) to help bring out the sound we were going for. We can’t wait to release these songs to the world. We wanted a rocking album, in your face choruses; songs that people will remember.”
RY: How would you guys say that you’ve evolved from 2008’s Hear We Go to Musicomania?
Anthony: “I think each album we have evolved as song writers and musicians. On Hear We Go, you can hear some of our earlier references and bands that we wanted to emulate. We were very young on that recording. Naturally, from each release, we were able to find our own voice and sound to build upon. Musicomania is our most current and up to date sound. Also, being able to tour and travel, you get to write songs on the road and take those experiences with you, so each recording has those elements.”
RY: When making an EP, I guess the real challenge is picking the best handful of songs you have and pushing them out into the world.
Anthony: “For us, it was actually easy to select the songs for Musicomania. We are always writing, so we had a library of songs to choose from. We had some current material that had a certain sound so we wanted to pick ‘like’ songs that fit. We were also really proud of the songs and liked the similarity that they had. It made sense. Sometimes we bring back really old songs that have never seen the light of day. It all depends on what we are going for.”
RY: What do you hope listeners get from this EP?
“Our hope is that listeners get an experience. We wanted these songs to sound big and rocking, with high parts, low parts, etc. We want to take the listener on a journey, to fall back in love with music as the EP title states. Musicomania and its definition, is the entire music experience. It is why we all listen and need music in our lives. We wanted this EP to have great hooks and memorable melodies. All the elements of great music.”
RY: Before the critics and fans have their say, we’d like to know this: what does this EP mean to you?
Anthony: “We are really proud of this EP, we wanted to create something that means a lot to us. We have created something that we all know is true to what we are doing currently.”
-Adam Grant
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