Leading Us Out of ‘Harm’s Way,’ Ducks Ltd. Share the Captivating “When You’re Outside”

Canadian indie rock duo Ducks Ltd. continue to fuel their high-powered train with “When You’re Outside,’ a track put aside from their recently released brilliant second album ‘Harm’s Way.’ With its powerful presence and unique melody, this single stands tall in their repertoire, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in its captivating landscape.

follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist

Stream: “When You’re Outside” – Ducks Ltd.

In every lyric, catchy hook, and production as a whole, Ducks Ltd. create a unique atmosphere that transfixes the ear to vast ranges of the sonic plane.

Each track feels like a short film, building a story with character arcs and personal dialogue that shifts back and forth from heartbreak to everyday qualms. With their iconic jangly guitars, they have solidified themselves as a beacon in the indie rock world, and with “When You’re Outside,” they prove they have more under their belts as musicians.

When You're Outside - Ducks Ltd. — When You’re Outside – Ducks Ltd.

Hailing from Toronto, Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis are hard, resilient musicians at the end of the day. Touring all over the globe without a breath to be exhaled, they are truly becoming a powerhouse in the scene. Their recent album Harm’s Way, released via Carpark Records in February, brought new ideas, collaboration, and an overall different style to their already glistening sound. Setting up camp in Chicago, they were accompanied by Dave Vettriano, who also helped produce other albums by Dehd, Deeper, and Lala Lala. During the sessions of Harm’s Way, they collaborated with many local Chicago artists – and while recording “When You’re Outside,” McGreevy and Lewis were assisted by Julia Steiner (Ratboys) and Margaret McCarthy (Moontype) in harmony, which gives the song a subtle but proper sultry undertow.

“But when you’re outside or way out of line,
I’ll be there too, absolutely blue.”

“This was one we wrote pretty early in the process for Harm’s Way, which was a period when a lot of country-leaning ideas were working their way into our arrangements,” Tom McGreevy shares. “I’d demoed the harmonies in the chorus (badly), and when we were working on backing vocals with Julia and Margaret, they immediately understood what we were trying to do and really elevated it.”

DUCKS LTD. SHOWCASE THEIR SONIC PROFICIENCY ON SECOND LP ‘HARM’S WAY’

:: INTERVIEW ::

“When You’re Outside” suggests loving someone so much that they do not understand why you are doing it and constructs a puzzle to make it harder for you to proclaim it. It is almost as if the person is being loved too hard but does not understand how unconditional it can be.

“Victim of your own ambition,
now you act like you
invented being let down.”

McGreevy has a distinctive voice that leans towards the likes of Bob Dylan, with a grainy wit and comfort that almost feels nostalgic, and it’s highlighted during the chorus as he hits the high notes without any complication. The sound feels so effortless and loose like tapping the keys of a piano and creating a tiny song of your own, but Lewis’s gentle guitar melodies flow along seamlessly, creating the full picture.

Ducks Ltd. have done nothing but fluently manufacture the most appealing sounding melodies, essentially making the listener hit the repeat button, wanting to listen to them one more time.

“When You’re Outside” would have fit perfectly within the skillful Harm’s Way, but it symbolizes how there are many stories to be told, and this one deserves to be heard on its own.

— —