Silver began work on a second CFCF LP shortly after the release of his debut album Continent (2009) in order to increase his reputation of being more than just a "house DJ."

The album's atmosphere was inspired by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's record The Letting Go (2006), and Outside features a cover of a track from that LP titled "Strange Form of Life."

Responses towards Outside from professional reviewers upon release were generally average, some critics having mixed opinions towards how Silver changed his sound and style for the LP as well as his vocal performances.

Outside was inspired by Silver's favorite Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album The Letting Go (2006),[8] as well as The Sensual World (1989) by Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel’s record Security (1982).

"[8] Pitchfork's Zach Kelly analyzed that Outside differs from the "haze of the translucent pastels" of CFCF's previous records in that it uses "approachable song structures.

[8] On Outside, Franciotti is a background vocalist on what Evelyn Malinowski described as a dark cover of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's song "Strange Form of Life.

[18] Critic Daniel Sylvester honored Outside as CFCF's best release, describing it as "an immaculate zenith that represents every brave, leftfield musical choice this young musician has made up until this point.

"[1] Angus Finlayson's review of the album for Fact magazine mainly discussed its relation to Silver's belief of focusing on the notes composed when listening to music even if it doesn't have a "fashionable" sound.

"[22] Dusted magazine critic Patrick Wall called Outside better than Continent in terms of songwriting, atmosphere, feel, and pace but also wrote that it lacked the "insistent hip-hop thump" of CFCF's debut album.

"[26] Dorian Mendoza, reviewing for Pretty Much Amazing, opined that the album "still showcases one of North America’s more unique and talented producers on his own terms," but also felt that its "formulated" music crafting was at the expense of the "dynamism" that defined previous CFCF records.

"[27] Journalist Andrew Hannah thought Outside was "more than alright" but was hugely disappointed with its 1980s-influenced ambient synthpop style that replaced the "engaging and energetic" elements of past releases by the producer: " The annoying thing is that we know from previous EPs that CFCF is plainly better than the music on this record, and can only hope he proves it in the future.

"[5] A review from The Aquarian Weekly praised the "transcendent and dreamlike" instrumentals but described Silver's lead vocals as "almost like a distraction:" "While experimenting is a job requirement of all musicians, CFCF has already found what he does well and should stick with it.

"[2] musicOMH opined that while the LP works as an immersive listening experience, it's too focused on mood which, in turn, causes it to have "pedestrian" pacing and unmemorable hooks.

"[29] Reviewing for In Your Speakers, Ashley Pike criticized Outside for not having enough "broad creativity," writing that its overuse of synthesizers led to a lack of variety between each track.

[30] Joe Rivers of Clash magazine wrote that, in trying to resemble a hypnagogic pop album, it "far too often simply passes you by, casts a glance to ‘80s power ballad sincerity and – particularly on the tracks with vocals – sounds like an inferior Tears For Fears.