We never really got into The Departure, the Northampton band that made a brief splash in the indie world in the mid-noughties. Frontman David Maddox-Jones went on to form the short-lived NewIslands (who I wrote nice things about in March 2010) before founding to a new electro-pop project, [STRANGERS]. They're onto EP #3, which you can listen to below, including my highlight of the release, 'Promises'.
I failed to connect with the first couple of [STRANGERS]'s EPs but the anthemic eighties vibe of 'Promises' has rekindled my interest in Maddox-Jones' work. The track features guest vocals from Lara Smiles and it's perhaps no co-incidence that the change-up has resulted in my favourite [STRANGERS] track thus far.
The band have also done a Lana Del Rey cover - which it seems has become a rite of passage, considering (off the top of my head) Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian have also done the same. Listen to that below, along with the EP.
STREAM: [STRANGERS] - Promises
'EP 3' is released on 28th November. Find more on [STRANGERS] at bornstrangers.com.
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