Brighton based alt-indie quartet Stranger Girl (Melissa, Joe, James and Andrew) released their debut EP, Black Hole Radio, last month. They burst onto the music scene via BBC Introducing in 2019 and played festivals including The Great Escape, before recording this EP during lockdown. Written and recorded by the band, the EP is bold and determined, but with an underlay of anxiety and tells tales from the perspective of these four individuals as they navigate life in their twenties.
‘Guilty Games‘ leads the EP off and is a catchy, up tempo track that packs a punch and sets a high standard for the other four tracks. Melissa’s vocals are ideally suited to the punklike indie sound of this track and add that something extra that all bands need.
Moving onto the star of the show, ‘Powerhouse‘ is a slower, more emotional song with a dreamy, drifting feel. Taking us through the aching frustration that accompanies discontent, particularly in early adulthood when you’re supposed to have worked life out once and for all, ‘Powerhouse’ feels like the perfect song for 2021. We’re all dreaming of bigger and better things but what do we actually dare ourselves to dream about?
From the slower rhythm of ‘Powerhouse’ we return to the quicker pace, with the last three tracks all having an ascending amount of danceability – you’ll want to be standing and dancing, not sitting for these. ‘Spitballing‘ brings us a slice of punk / pop / rock before ‘Damage‘ and ‘Bad Side‘ bring us to a rip roaring end. ‘Damage’ has a spiky quality that deserves to be played at least a couple of times on the trot, whilst ‘Bad Side’ brings the five tracks to a barnstorming end.
One of the best things about making music is the chance to collaborate, and this is something that Stranger Girl call on for their advice to aspiring artists:
“The best thing we have going for us is that every time we write or practice or play a gig we’re doing it with our friends. Finding people that have talent and skill is super important, but for us it’s our chemistry and the little family that we’ve formed that makes us able to really creatively gel. So we’d always recommend finding people that you really connect with when you’re making music together!”
Black Hole Radio was released on 18 June. Get your copy here.
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