Exit Lounge are the brainchild of Steve Maloney, formerly of the very under-rated Johnny Zhivago and also the brains behind Leeds’ premier rock noir merchants Vicious Cabaret, another group who really should have made more waves than they actually did.
With his new project Exit Lounge though, Maloney has opted for a more schizophrenic approach. While “Dazzled In The Spotlight” and “Tarnish On Your Halo” sound very similar to the snotty garage punk of his old band and “Everyday Sometimes” sounds like a more fired-up Joy Division, there’s some electro-rock stylings that have quietly crept in such as on the unsettling “Say What You Want” which could be Gary Numan in one of his gothier moments and the creepy seasick “And The Record Plays On” which has a sparse, almost trip-hop, backing to it.
Easy listening this very much ain’t but it definitely does draw you in. Dark, disturbing and beguiling - Exit Lounge are very much worth a listen.
