PREMIERE: Outside The Academy - Solutionism

Enigmatic indie-electronic act Outside The Academy has travelled a long and winding road on the way to the release of his sophomore EP, Second-Guessing, but he finally stand ready to usher the new work into the world before setting off on tour.

The EP is preceded by the exceptionally moreish, eminently danceable new cut Solutionism, a delightfully addictive piece that emerges from introductory cacophony with pulsing, four-to-the-floor bass-kick and throbbing bottom-end action while Pawel Cholewa's reverb-lined vocals set the scene. Suddenly, with the appearance of snappy snare, offbeat guitar and hip-shaking hi-hats, the track picks up to a deep, open groove that effortlessly pulls the listener into its gleeful abandon.

Cholewa's voice — or at least his enunciation — occasionally gets a little lost in the mix (there's a fair bit happening in the tune throughout) but overall it's an exceptionally solid outing that should pretty capably raise excitement and expectations for what's to come out of the Outside The Academy camp over the next several months.

Second-Guessing is due for release via White Label Servicing on 10 March; it'll be available on Bandcamp, where you'll find OTA's existing catalogue too.

If you're into it, Brisbane punters will have the chance to catch them in action on release day, with a show lined up at the Empire Hotel that evening, but if you're not in the area then you'll be happy to know Outside The Academy have a bunch of other dates lined up in support of the EP: Cholewa and live drummer Nicholas Peddle will kick off at the Treehouse, in Byron Bay, on 25 February, and hit stages in Nimbin, Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne over the ensuing month.

For a full list of venues, dates and other booking details, see theGuide.