San Francisco-based post punk outfit Strange Cities have developed a reputation for a powerful and energetic live show that has landed them opening slots for Gene Loves Jezebel and The Sisters of Mercy. They also caught the attention of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros,’ The Alarm‘s and Archive‘s Steve “Smiley” Barnard, who invited them to England to record most of their latest album Moments Stolen at this Sunshine Corner Studio.
Moments Stolen sees the Bay Area-based outfit firmly cementing a sound that reflects the foggy, jagged and dystopian landscape that inspired their name with their sound frequently skirting the fringe of noise and melody, melancholy and nostalgia, tragedy and hope.
Rooted around an arrangement of angular reverb-soaked guitars, a motorik-like groove punctuated by relentless four-on-the-floor, a propulsive bass line and an anthemic hook, paired with an earnest, yearning vocal, Stolen Moments‘ latest single “Holoscene” is a danceable bit of post-punk that channels Murmur-era R.E.M., Boy and War-era U2 and others.
As the San Francisco-based outfit explains, “Holoscene” was written during the darkest days of the pandemic, when it seemed like going out to support local bands, artists and DJs and going out with your friends would be too dangerous to do. And as a result, the song captures the fear of losing something so deeply human and necessary permanently, while being a desperate shout to the world that we can’t let that die. It’s too important for us as humans.
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