Outsideness – …From What?
Freidrich$ made his buffaBLOG debut back in late-August 2025, when our longtime contributor, Nick Sessanna, reviewed his genre-shattering album Wish – a collection chock-full of supremely relatable lyricism and dreamy mixes. Freidrich$ and fellow musician, Azalias, have combined their creativity into an outlet called, Outsideness, and the two couldn’t blend more seamlessly together. They’ve released a formidable collaboration album in …From What? With Azalias’ beautiful falsetto and Freidrich$’s rich tenor, their efforts amalgamate into a stunning, atmospheric collection of songs.
“Remedy,” the album opener, starts off with ghostly coos from Azalias. The zippy guitar is enthralling, like watching embers shoot up from a bonfire. Mood-wise, this song is easygoing and sensual, but it is pinned against pensive lyrics like, “I’m feeling hollow, but you have a way with me.” Azalias has a hushed vocal delivery in this one, not unlike the alt pop of Billie Eilish. Next, is “Pretend,” which features a delightful use of some sort of vocal auto-tuning. This song is warmer than the first – a gentle, starry dream pop. I was personally impressed by the awesome electronic mixes and the singer’s ability to hit some very high notes.
“Crazy” has a staccato vocal delivery with crunchy hi-hats. This track marks the creative endeavor’s first exploration into trippiness. An East Asian-style guitar bounces within the roomy audio production, and eventually the song bursts into groovy drum’n’bass. Simple and effective, “Crazy” echoes into the following song, “Different,” where Freidrich$ smoothly supplies the line, “I thought I could change for you / But, the way I feel is irreversible.” This number features a dripping, chorused guitar and feels as if you trapped in the void of love’s bipolarity.
Queueing the latter half of …From What? is “Lovers,” a charming take on lo-fi vocals atop trap-hop. Azalias responds to Freidrich$ with a, “Yeah, totally!” while he croons, “It sucks being lonely / It sucks being sad / Maybe these happy people know something I don’t know about yet.” The bass drum and bass synth seem a bit hot, but it only adds to the feel of the music. Lastly, “Cold World” demonstrates Outsideness’ tried-and-true musicality as a creative outlet. I think this song displays the duo at their best. The track is like shifting sands, with the mix trembling and falling out occasionally. A tasty guitar solo and the lyrics, “I’ve got my memories of you / They get me through to the evening,” are more than enough to satiate you.
All in all, …From What? is a genre-bending listen, touching on the poles of relaxation and intensity. …From What? is FFO SZA, Drake, Alina Baraz, and The Weeknd. Whether your into trip-hop, R&B, or pop, you should definitely check out the work of Outsideness on Spotify and SoundCloud.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Jake Sessanna