''The Way Out'' is the debut album by Australian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Drag released 10 July 2005. Drag recorded and toured for the album while lead singer and guitarist

Darren Middleton Darren Middleton (born 4 October 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow-u ...

was on a break from his other band

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer ...

Background

As Middleton was allowed time to devote to his own side project Drag, he and McElligott decided to fill out Drag to a full band lineup. initially enlisting Brisbane keyboardist Matt Murphy and fellow Powderfinger member John Collins on bass, Drag began performing around Brisbane and its surrounding areas. Middleton had intended recording some of the Drag songs in the hiatus time, but when the opportunity was offered by Paul Piticco, Powderfinger's manager and founder of

Dew Process Dew Process is an Australian independent record label, based in Brisbane, Queensland, founded and owned by Australian music industry figure Paul Piticco. Operational The label operates in two primary areas: traditional development of Australi ...

to record on Dew Process, Middleton accepted. Drag then recorded ''The Way Out'' in early 2005 at a recording studio in the Northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

beachside town

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...

. The band enlisted David Nicholas as the album's producer, known for his work with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Songs and singles

There were two singles released from ''The Way Out''. "You and I" was released just prior to the album to radio and as a CD single. The song is a rock-electronic song with influences of new-wave music. The second single released was "Lady Luck" which was released in October 2005. According to the band, "Lady Luck" is the band's attempt at writing a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

styled song.

Track listing

#"Not So Innocent" #"Road That We Both Travel" #"You and I" #"Fading Out" #"Lady Luck" #"Long Way Home" #"Frustrated Writer" #"I Know You" #"You Will Save Me" #"Fall in the Haze" #"Inside Your Words"

Personnel

– Guitar and vocals *Sean Hartman – Bass guitar *Matt Murphy – Keyboards *Mark McElligott – Drums * John Collins – Additional bass guitar

Reception

Zombos Reviews gave the album a B−, saying that "All up, it's certainly not earth-shattering, but they don't embarrass themselves with anything hideously bad either. This one gets awarded a middling-to-high 10 for being "pleasant, but doesn't have any songs or melodies that are flatout brilliant."Zombos: Drag – The Way Out
The reviewer did say that The Frustrated Writer was his favourite song on the album.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Way Out, The 2005 debut albums Drag (band) albums Dew Process albums ARIA Award-winning albums