Strvngers - Strvngers

I remember the first glimpse I ever got from Strvngers was from their back and forth color to black/white sexually laced music video 'Nostalgia'. The artistic image Strvngers put out along with their simple albeit glorious production set the mood, theme, and chaotic yet hurt emotional state Strvngers put out. With several, several praises shot upon them from fans and critics alike there was a high demand for Strvngers to get their music out on Bandcamp ASAP. With their signing to Negative Gain Productions, those wishes became a reality and Strvngers has about a month before they unleash their beautiful darkwave/electropop gem onto the world.

Strvngers is Maria Joaquin and Kyle Craig based out of Canada. After self-releasing their debut album Sonic Erotica via Bandcamp and releasing a music video for their track 'Nostalgia', they caught the attention of a bunch of fine folks all over the place including Negative Gain Productions who they are now signed to. They slowly trickled a few more videos out via YouTube (a live performance, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', and more) crawling to the release date of their label debut and self-titled album Strvngers. And now with just a month and some days to go before their album drops, here I am to talk to you of Strvngers and all their glorious retro might.


Once again mentioning 'Nostalgia', it's this perfect track that kicks off the album. Maria Joaquin's dual singing but shouting vocals with spoken over-the-phone like chattering encompasses all of the beautiful chaos the song shouts out at the audience. It's fast, it doesn't let up, and it's fucking powerful. You'll seldom find a track that's able to make you want to get through an entire an album from the get go, but 'Nostalgia' does exactly that.

Splashed with a retro 80s vibe, Strvngers continued to kick ass with the adorably pop oriented 'Existentialism' and 'Shape Shifter' where Joaquin puts up a more masculine voice that's equally as strong and emotive. Plus, there's a couple of moments on this track where the vocals are backed and are absolutely wonderful. 

The next song will make any fan of discos want to get back on their flashy outfits from a bygone era full of giant sunglasses and hairy chests. 'Dressed To Kill' easily brings out the funk of the 80s and has a stylish italo-disco convention to it. It's fun, different, and Joaquin's vocals could compare with some of the best retro singers. 

Getting back to a grittier feeling, 'Chemically Enslaved' incorporates multiple layers of vocals including sexual moaning, clean singing, and deep pitched distorting singing paired next to a sensational electropop beat. The next song 'Stay With Me' went in the opposite direction and focused on a cleaner sound with darkwave influenced walls. 

'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' had a synthwave sound to it with an EBM beat matching the bouncy rhythm. The deep pitched, distorted vocals returned in the song as backing vocals alongside Joaquin's rapid fire lyrics and slower singing battling it out. 'Tension' kept up the retro synths with an EBM beat and it was grand. 

Getting to the end of things, 'Casual Sex' went back in the darkwave direction throwing up charming and ear filling electronics and 'Venus' brought out another great electropop ballad with some of the best percussion on the album. The final song on the album 'Epilogue (Good Riddance)' was like a grand breakup with drum and bass pushing out the final act of the track. And if you're a good enough chap to stick around, there's even a bonus demix of 'Nostalgia' done by Camrose, Canada based producer SlowScan. It turns the track into an 8-bit piece of retro wistfulness. 

Strvngers is a powerful duo who know each other's strengths and weaknesses so easily. They sing passionately, their vocals tangle and battle one another, and the music in the chaos so easily brings out the best of 80s whether or not their tackling darkwave, synthwave, EBM, or pop in general. This is easily one of the albums that should be on your must-have list for 2016. Don't miss out. 
Oct 09 2016