STRANGERS

Words by Paul Brown

You might recognise the voice behind Strangers. Singer David Maddox-Jones fronted The Departure, an artful, agitated bunch of faintly post-punk influenced indie-poppers who burned briefly but brightly in the middle of the noughties. His new project, however, couldn’t be more different to his old one, with only his distinctive vocal betraying any trace of his past life.

Strangers deal in hefty, gorgeous electro-pop, and recently joined the gang of bands to have covered Lana Del Rey’s Video Games. 'Promises', taken from the band’s third EP, features a guest turn from Lara Smiles, whose voice is a gorgeous counterpoint to Maddox-Jones’ more dominant vocal.  The track is at once heady and euphoric, drenched in heavy, humid synths, and possessed of a serious kick. The result is seriously satisfying, and proof too that not all 80s-influenced pop music needs to be retrogressive in nature.