There’s always a risk when a band forms out of legacy. Especially one tied to something as influential as Die Kreuzen. Lean too hard on the past and it becomes nostalgia. Push too far away and you lose the thread entirely. On Outlier, The Crosses manage to thread that needle, delivering a debut EP that feels less like a revival and more like a continuation.
Fronted by Daniel Kubinski, whose voice remains as distinct and unyielding as ever, The Crosses don’t attempt to recreate Die Kreuzen’s early chaos so much as expand on its more angular, forward-thinking edges. From the opening moments of “Nails,” it’s clear this isn’t a straightforward hardcore record. The riffs twist rather than charge, the rhythms lock in tight but never settle, and there’s a metallic tension running through everything that nods as much to Voivod as it does to Midwest punk.
That push toward something more dissonant and structural gives Outlier its identity, but it also means the EP doesn’t always offer easy entry points. Tracks like “Hate Market” and “Nychthemeron” thrive on friction with jagged guitar lines scraping against disciplined, almost mechanical drumming. While that tension is compelling, it can occasionally feel more cerebral than immediate. This isn’t the kind of record that reveals itself all at once but demands a little patience.
Kubinski’s vocals anchor everything. There’s a lived-in quality to his delivery that only comes from decades of doing this. Not just technique, but perspective. He doesn’t need to overreach to sound intense because the weight is already there, cutting through the band’s more complex arrangements without getting lost in them.
The EP’s lineage becomes more explicit on the back half. “Man In The Trees,” a reworked Die Kreuzen track, doesn’t feel like a retread so much as a reinterpretation filtered through the band’s current, more expansive approach. Meanwhile, their take on Hüsker Dü’s “I’ll Never Forget You” ties everything back to the broader Midwest DNA that shaped this project in the first place. It’s less about homage and more about context.
What stands out most is how cohesive the band feels despite pulling from so many directions. Guitarist Jim Potter, bassist Christopher Ortiz, and drummer Jesse Sieren bring a precision that keeps the more experimental elements grounded. Even when the songs lean toward abstraction, there’s a clear sense of intent behind every shift. At six tracks, Outlier feels more like an opening statement than a definitive one. It’s a snapshot of a band still exploring the full range of what they can do together. But that sense of forward motion is part of what makes it work. The Crosses aren’t looking back. They’re building outward. And if this is just the starting point, there’s a lot more ground left to cover.
