Strange Relations – Going Out EP

Strange Relations are a trio from Minneapolis, they are comprised of Casey Sowa, drums and vocals, Marisa Helgeson, bass and keyboards, and Nate Hart-Andersen on guitar. Going Out follows on from their debut album, Centrism, that was released on Tiny Engines Records in 2015. 

opening track Drift has a hypnotic bass line, whilst the tone of the song is light the vocals sound agitated and at times appear to be bordering on a nervous breakdown, Ceremonies follows, this is a more ethereal track, it comes across as a union between the likes of the Cocteau Twins and early New Order. The tone changes distinctly half way through Going Out, Predation is a spiky affair, the post punk influences come to the fore on this number and the EP closes with Weeknites, this is easily my favourite track on here, the song has a frantic and disturbed quality that is reminiscent of the discordant post punk style of the likes of The Au-Pairs, the tone of this number is reflected in the lyrics, they seem to depict the inner turmoil of a mind late at night when insomnia has struck.

This is not your run of the mill indie release, there is no pop sensibility to Strange Relations, they have produced a blend of the darker side of indie and post punk that has a stark minimalist tone throughout. The songs seem to echo with a burning sense of frustration and reflect the darker side of human nature, especially on the closing track Weeknites. Strange Relations draw on a variety of influences to produce a unique hybrid that is worth investigating if you like your indie rock on the dark side.

Going Out will be released on July 8th 2016 on Tiny Engines Records and can be ordered as a download or cassette here