Kade and the Outcasts – “CRISIS” launches hybrid sonic projectiles!

Kade and the Outcasts is something of an enigma. With the release of the single, “CRISIS”, the project sounds like it is at the forefront of a new punk expansion into sonic abrasion and electronic leanings. There’s plenty of aggression, replete with dirty bass synth riffing, and stream-of-conscience lyrics belted forth in screams that are more grating than conscious absorption will allow. The kinetic and full-of-rage ravings, combined with the thumping beat and aggressive bass twists, is what gives Kade and the Outcasts its much-lauded crossover DnB-hardcore punk sound.

Kade and the Outcasts is a musical project started by bassist, vocalist, and keyboardist, Kade Anderson in Philadelphia. While spanning multiple genres, Kade mainly focuses on post-punk, electronica, and a music genre of his own creation – the aforementioned combination of DnB music and hardcore punk.

Kade and the Outcasts is not afraid to indulge all of its diverse musical stylings, working to fully integrate these influences into the core punk elements of it’s overall aesthetic, to the point where the blended sounds are presented as the most natural thing in the world.

There’s a rawness to this performance that is difficult to replicate. Though there is no denying its abrasion, Kade and the Outcasts’ willingness to dilute hardcore punk’s deliberately self-limiting quest to launch hybrid sonic projectiles like “CRISIS”, is a bold one.

Moreover, it should not be forgotten that under the abrasive aggression there is a message in Kade and the Outcasts lyrics. “If I could stop time. I would relive this crime. Prison for my whole life. They’re coming after me. Now I start to get why. I taste blood when I cry. Spitting red but it’s fine. The salt fuels the mystery,” sings Kade, as he unpacks the dark and twisted mystery of the narrative.

“CRISIS” is a direct, sincere, and often discomforting expression of the breadth of the human emotion and its dispositions, profoundly resonant in its imperfections. This is a complete recounting of the human condition in its most extreme instances, where Kade’s voice roars like a tempest at it’s peak.

It should be acknowledged that Kade Anderson is a lyrical mastermind. I think he is able to access a part of the brain that is off limits to many, and uses words to go really deep into the subconscious, but with a surface level of simplicity that has immediate appeal. The trick is being able to access the words buried underneath the musical mayhem created by Kade and the Outcasts. All of which requires hitting the replay button often.

Kade and the Outcasts isn’t the type project to make a subtle entrance. “CRISIS” comes flying out of the blocks with hot-blooded intensity, with Kade’s ferocity bringing his drive and urgent passion to the fore. It all sounds incendiary, exploding from the speakers in a welter of growling synth riffs and slapping drums. And that’s the crux of the genius at work here. All of the abrasive intensity which pummels your sound system, is powered by just the drums, a synth motif, and Kade’s vocals.

Let me get one thing out of the way here, this single is an acquired taste, and not for everyone, but in it’s lane, it freaking rules. I like to think of Kade as a mad musical scientist. The guy is super talented and an amazingly unique performer, however his songwriting is way outside of the box for those hung up on mainstream aesthetics. If you can break down that barrier, you will find something to love in Kade and the Outcasts and “CRISIS”.