Article by Lauren Dalban
For the past couple of years, the sharp, gritty sound of New York City’s The Down & Outs has lingered in the city’s small music venues, energizing even the smallest of crowds. With the assured strokes of Tom O’Donnell on the drums, Ray Young and Benji Wason’s talent for songwriting, as well as their intoxicating stage presence, animates patrons at low-lit bars and music clubs. Far from the small rehearsal space in Red Bank, New Jersey, where the two musicians once practiced their 2019 self-titled EP, they now produce music that has come to feel emblematic of the more hedonistic aspects of the city’s nightlife—and its shortcomings. The group’s newest single, “2345,” is no exception.
The Down & Outs’ newest track expertly melds the grittiness of their earlier discography with the earworm quality of the choruses in some of their more recent tracks, like “Jealous//Unreal.” Ray Young’s confidence on the mic is palpable as he takes the listener through the different stages of the song, each bringing out a slightly different emotion. The track starts with a rhythmic, almost grating verse, with Young’s voice taking on a raspy quality, and Benji Wason’s ever-present riffs building to the chorus. There’s an urgency to it, a rush, like the feeling of being late to a really good party. The chorus has an optimistic, light feel to it—a deviation from some of the band’s other, harsher tunes, like their 2021 single “Last Party on Duke Street.” Its airy quality evokes the intoxicated, dancing mass at the band’s small shows, “what are you looking for/ can we find it/ at sunrise?”
The song moves the listener through an evening with the band—in their music video, produced by Medium Luck, Young is a demon-like character enticing watchers to come out to a show. As the track builds to a final, intense outburst, it takes on a more wistful tone—the party is ending, and no one really knows what comes after, or what they were initially looking for. The Down & Outs barrel towards the end of the song, keeping the chorus in the minds of audiences long after their first listen.
“2345” is the second single the band have released this year, after “ALLTHATYEARNING” which came out last month. These singles are slowly building up to the release of the Down & Outs’ debut album ‘“Faraway Places, Exotic Exports” in October of this year.
