The Clay Mechanical

Gray Train

“… Peabody grads Britt Olsen-Ecker and Melissa Wimbish have catapulted themselves onto the local arts scene and created their very own genre along the way.” (Baltimore Magazine)

The vocal pop duo Outcalls has been dubbed the “electronic opera queens” of Baltimore. Led by Britt Olsen-Ecker and Melissa Wimbish, both classically- trained musicians, Outcalls creates genre-defying pop music that counters the tired narratives pervading much of today’s popular songs. With compelling performances and songs that feature melodic and harmonic surprises, their voices can tickle your ear hairs one second and shake your teeth the next. Masterful sopranos fuse into lush harmonies that lilt about energetic beats and easily translate from the operatic stage to bandstands and radio waves. 

Unconventional pop arrangements layer acoustic and electronic elements to create refreshing, dance-inducing, woman-fronted hits. Their sophomore album, No King (2017), features “art pop songs” that unfold in chapters and have a cinematic quality. For WTMD Radio’s Alternative Music Awards, they were awarded Best Vocals in addition to nominations for Album of the Year and Best Album Art. The title single “No King” was named in The Baltimore Sun’s “Songs That Defined Baltimore in 2017” and voted #6 in the Top 89 Songs of 2017 by 89.7 WTMD Radio listeners in Baltimore. The following year, their single “Keep Falling Over” was voted #1 Song of 2018. Their latest releases “Stay” (2019) and “Mother” (2020) were featured on celebrity astrologer Chani Nicholas’s Cosmic Playlist Series. The duo won a Baker Artist Award in 2021 after being named finalists for the competition in both 2019 and 2020. 

Greatest Hits: Volume 1 includes 11 tracks written between 2015-2021 and features dozens of Baltimore artists. It is a culmination of Britt and Melissa’s work before, during, and after the infamous rift of Outcalls. The album opens with “Love To Fight”, written and produced alongside fellow Charm City musician Micah E. Wood. "Love To Fight" is the first single from the new record and couples the duo's sequined, soulful vocals with shadowy synths, funky basslines, heartbeat percussion, and a euphoric chorus of denial. “Olsen-Ecker and Wimbish are clearly aware of the landscape of independent artistry today, as when it comes to the almost necessity of wearing a multitude of hats, they oblige in spades …” (Disrupt Magazine)

Britt and Melissa are dedicated to actively building a stronger, more sustainable future for women in the music industry, both publicly and behind the scenes. Their innovative music and lyrical content offers a fresh feminist perspective. These bandleaders are creative risk-takers seeking greater independence as composers, tour managers, engineers, and producers.

Setting the stage for major touring acts is always an honor for Outcalls. They have opened for Kimbra, Y La Bamba, Wolf Parade, Chicano Batman, Khruangbin, Robyn Hitchcock, San Fermin, paris_monster, and many others. Britt and Melissa have self-booked and managed several tours throughout the US and Canada including The Skinny Tour (Midwest US - 2017), Expand the Fam Tour (Northeast US & Canada - 2018), Goin Down South Tour (Southeast US - 2019), The Breakfast Tour (Northeast US - 2019), Nothing Will Go Wrong Tour (West Coast - 2019), and Back to School (Colorado - 2021). 

"In the infinite galaxy of music, where most 'original' music is actually not very original at all, there comes a breath of fresh air in the form of the group, Outcalls." (Naptown Music)