Outmatch

Since the release of their debut single Broken (November 2007), the Canadian rock band OUTMATCH has carried the seal of quality: insider tip! In its November 28th, 2007 issue, Musikwoche wrote about the new discovery from MAXI MEDIA: “The group Outmatch from Canada is still largely a blank slate. That could change fundamentally with the debut single "Broken" and the album "Weightless", which will be released in mid-February. Because the quartet has an unerring instinct for irresistible melodies.”

Behind this unerring instinct lies the combination of handmade rock music and authentic lyrics, the connection between content and music. For OUTMATCH's Martin Acosta (singer/songwriter), Mike Kovas (bass), Kyle Lazenka (drums/vocals) and Jay Famosa (guitar/vocals) this is the key to good music: When each instrument tells, in its own language, the story of the songs told. "Music is pure emotion and always a piece of its own story - from the songwriter, the band and the listener," says Acosta. "Every one of us knows it: You hear a song, a text, a melody and you immediately remember a certain situation in your life. You can't do anything about it. You lose yourself in the music. And that's exactly what we wanted to achieve with our music, that's why we called our album WEIGHTLESS."

WEIGHTLESS, which was released on February 15, 2008, impresses with a successful mixture of rocking midtempo (Borken / Ordinary) and uptempo songs (Chasing The Sunrise), as well as classic ballads (Save Myself). Each of the 14 songs on the debut is about love. "For me, this is simply the strongest emotion, the topic that keeps the world in suspense and connects us all," says Acosta. It's the sad, the dark moments that captivate the songwriter. "When I'm in a good mood, I spend my time with other things," he says with a laugh, "No, it's mainly the sad moments that connect us." Basically, it's a small miracle that OUTMATCH at all. Because Martin originally had completely different plans. The Argentine-born singer wanted to be a professional footballer. A knee injury ended this career, Acosta was 15 years old at the time. "Up until then, I had never dealt with music," he recalls. “But then I fell into a deep hole, withdrew and listened to a lot of music. Actually, I didn't do anything else. Until one day I thought: I totally find myself here again. So many songs had something to do with me, how I felt and others just gave me strength. I was so overwhelmed by the power of music that I thought, wow, I want to do that too!” Martin learned drums and guitar, began writing songs, and teamed up with childhood friend Mike. From then on they roamed the Toronto live scene, where they met Jay and Kyle, who were also touring with their own band. And here really everything could have gone wrong, because the two bands were by no means sympathetic. Martin: “We were more of a competitor and watched each other suspiciously. This was especially evident on a night we all played at a club. Jay and Kyle had a whole bus of fans with them and performed in front of us. After that, they and their fans left immediately and Mike and I had to perform in an almost empty club.” It was pure coincidence that the guys finally got the hang of it. Behind some stage, somewhere in Canada, we got talking again. “To the surprise of all of us, it clicked between us immediately. And the step to do us together was quite natural. Neither of us had to think long about it. It was just obvious,” Martin recalls. it's been five years!

OUTMATCH, the band name, symbolizes the way, the perfectionism with which the four musicians go about their work. Martin: "We have pretty clear ideas about how we want to sound like and we have extremely high standards for ourselves. We are not easy to please and always try to excel." About Canadian producer Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Emma Bunton), OUTMATCH got to know the German producer team, the Bermann Brothers (Don Henley, Michael Jackson, Avion). And this is how the way to Germany led to Maxi Media, who signed OUTMATCH in 2005. Two years later, Martin, Jay, Mike and Kylean were working on their debut WEIGHTLESS - no surprise, considering the perfectionism thing. After their first promotional tour through Germany, OUTMATCH went back to the studio at the beginning of November 2007 "to make the album even tighter" - as Martin puts it. The guys put three more songs on the album: Let It Out, Save Myself, It's OK.

Completely satisfied, OUTMATCH could hardly wait to present WEIGHTLESS. In February 2008 the time had finally come: Just in time for the release of their debut album WEIGHTLESS, OUTMATCH started their first club tour in Germany with stops in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Magdeburg, Leipzig, Cologne and Frankfurt.