‘Outside’ stays inside the box

Tapes ‘N Tapes fans tend to prefer their rock raw and dirty, a sound not unlike that of The Walkmen or Wolf Parade, and one that the band impressively honed in on with its first two albums. Unfortunately for these fans, the band’s third album “Outside” falls into an idle and formula-bound comfort zone of lighthearted and squeaky-clean, though notably lifeless, indie rock numbers that are fun and catchy for a few listens before turning stale fast.

Lead singer Josh Grier demonstrates a clear mastery of the vocal cord tricks essential to his confident and aggressive delivery, but he uses them far too often to shout in your face about nothing in particular. In fact, for a few select moments — like the final minute of the vapid, summery tune “SWM” — you may actually believe that you are hearing an O.A.R. record.

Standout track “Hidee Ho” offers shades of the drive found in their back catalogue, though its engaging crescendo feels somewhat underdeveloped once Grier falls back on the vintage indie rock banality of shouting “Hey!” 18 times in a row.

“The Loon,” the band’s self-produced and self-released 2005 debut, was the type of record that could single-handedly elevate a face in the crowd, which is exactly what Tapes ‘N Tapes was not too long ago. “Outside” is the type of record a band that has built itself from the ground up releases when it has no desire to build any further.