A three-piece rock band from Swansea, Wales, called Strange Company is made up of accomplished musicians from the South Wales music scene. Their music speaks to the gloom, disaster, and ultimately hopeful feelings felt around the world. It was born out of the fear and isolation of a global lockdown.
The Strange Co. boys set out to combine this classic vibe with their own modern feel, drawing inspiration from vintage Fall Out Boy and Kids in Glass Houses. The result is an emo-punk sound that is new and distinctive and that will reach into the soul of your nostalgia and rearrange it for the present.
As a way to kill time, Strange Company was created during solitary writing sessions between its members, but as the songs developed, so did the groupโs enthusiasm for the endeavor. The album, scheduled for an autumn release, will first be available as Hivemind, followed by a series of releases. A fast-moving song with some unexpected turns is called Hivemind. Strange Company recently performed their first show at the Bunkhouse in Swansea, where they were stunned to hear the audience singing along to their closing number, Hivemind. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
Charlie: Myself and Matt were in a band for years. That kind of fizzled during COVID and he introduced me to this project he was working on. I loved it. Thatโs how I got my spot in Strange Company.
Owen: Iโd spent a lot of isolated time making music that I had absolutely no intention of doing anything with. I sent an idea to Matt as more of a joke than anything, and loved what he did with it. After that, all I wanted to do was turn these tracks into an album.
Matt: I had always wanted to sing in a band but never had the guts. During lockdown I decided it was time to step up and do what scares me. Owen sent over a song idea and we ran with it.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
Owen: I had guitar lessons for a few years in my early teens. I was into bands like Busted and McFly, but saw these as a bit of a guilty pleasure at the time. I lied to my teacher about the music I listened to, and he ended up teaching me Extreme, Joe Satriani and Slipknot songs, which probably did me a massive favour as far as technicality goes.
Matt: I played piano as a child, played keyboard in a band for a couple of years and then started learning guitar from my band mates. Ended up playing guitar for 10 years in various bands. All of my singing technique just comes from me trying to sing along to Fall Out Boy in the car.
Charlie: I had one guitar lesson where I learned how to play the G chord. As far as drumming goes, Iโve made it all up since I was 11.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โSTRANGE COMPANYโ?
Charlie: Taylor Hawkins was the sole reason I wanted to be a drummer. The guy brought drums to the front of the stage and his thunderous presence, gigantic smirk and passion really rubbed off on me. I also think Lars Ulrich is the greatest drummer of all time, but those reasons could go on forever.
Matt: I grew up listening to pop-punk/emo and the three of us love Biffy Clyro so we tend to combine big, anthemic rock hooks with more intricate moments of vulnerability. It feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time.
Owen: As for the band name, I spent 2020 living in Fremantle, Western Australia. There was a bar in the centre of Freo called Strange Company, and I always thought it was a really cool name.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
Matt: I feel like weโre very greedy song-writers. We write want we want to listen to first and foremost and that has resulted in an album that the three of us are really proud of from start to finish.
Owen: When you listen to our album, there are no two songs that really sound like they belong together. However, at the same time I feel like the album feels like a complete body of work. Itโs strange, but it works for us.
Charlie: For me, I feel like our music has no creative boundaries or genre. Every song sounds different, yet sounds like a strange company song. I feel like that is enough to resonate with anyone. Itโs about being bold and putting yourself out there. If people donโt like it, youโre still going to do it because itโs real.
Charlie: My music taste is pretty much an anything goes kind of deal. If there are certain rhythms or beats, even melodies I hear out of a pop song then were going to try it through a distorted guitar and see what we can do with it. I wouldnโt consider myself an artist but someone thatโs trying to figure it all out as I go along. I think thatโs the beauty of it all, weโre constantly developing and right now I donโt even know if we have a style!
Owen: I think weโre still finding our feet as a band too. Although we have an album in the bag ready to release, we only got in a room together to play music for the first time 9 months ago, so weโre still making it up as we go along.
Matt: I agree, weโve called our genre โemo-punkโ but its shifting and changing with every song we write. We played our first live show a few months back and everything just clicked into place. All of the various genres of songs work together as one set because we put so much of ourselves into them and I think that really comes across live.
6. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
Charlie: Politics has been in music from as long as I can remember. Its incredibly important to have that platform to voice an opinion and to be accepted for that. You can bring someone to tears with your own experiences through lyricism and get through to someone in a way that only music can create. Itโs an amazing thing. As entertaining as music is, if youโre creating something thatโs not from a real place I find it easy to sniff out and to put to one side.
Matt: Iโm very politically motivated. I feel strongly about practicing what I preach. And whilst I love a lot of politically charged bands such as Enter Shikari and Letlive, this first album has been a place of spiritual reflection and release for me rather than political. We spent the last year writing about everything from being selfish in the now so you can be strong when your loved ones need you to reaching back in time and telling your younger self that itโs all going to be okay. There are few topics that are as all encompassing as metaphysical love and it has been really rewarding on a spiritual level to take the time to write these songs and perform them.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
Charlie: For me, when I sit behind that kit I feel at peace and at home. I got joys out of a simple band practice. If people give a shit, and they do, itโs way more than I ever hoped for and thatโs what itโs all about.
Owen: Yeah, totally. We started this project as a way for us to vent, and itโs cool if nobody else wants to listen to it. Honestly, I had no interest at all in gigging this music when we first started. Now weโve started playing live shows, all I want to do is play more and more. So who knows what the future will bring.
Matt: Yeah, we get more and more motivated with every live show โ thereโs something very powerful about performing these songs weโve worked so hard on for so long. Its almost a spiritual experience โ expressing emotions in such a raw and unfiltered way.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
Charlie: The process is; there is no process. I find an idea will spring to mind during a drive in the car, or shower, or in the fruit and veg aisle. If you have to force it then pack it away, however a lot of our songs seem to have landed on our laps. We all kind of chip away at an idea to see what sticks. If it doesnโt flow, it doesnโt get worked on.
Owen: Like Charlie said, we can tell when weโre forcing a song. It just ends up feeling unnatural. Weโre yet to find a model that works every time and I doubt we ever will. Every song has come from a totally different place; a bass line, a melody, a guitar hook, a drum beat. I feel like this keeps things far more interesting and exciting for us and the listener.
9. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
Matt: Biting the bullet and singing both in the studio and live was terrifying but Iโll be forever grateful that I did. Its pushed my out of my comfort zone and Iโve loved every moment.
Charlie: The kick drum pedal spring snapped at our first show, and the song after that the power to the venue went out. That was as painful as stamping on lego.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
Charlie: As cringe as it sounds, sitting behind the kit at our gigs and looking out and seeing so many smiles. People that pay to see us having a good time. Thatโs what matters. I do also enjoy the stank faces I get when I rip a fill or two. Drummers recognising drummers I guess.
Matt: Playing live is the big high for me too โ nothing else matters in those moments on stage. Another highlight for me is when we all just click during the writing process and a song appears almost out of nowhere. I donโt think weโll ever be able to explain that feeling but itโs pretty special. Owen: Just driving around listening to music that Iโve played a part in making always makes me smile. It also blows my mind that people are willing to leave their houses and pay money to listen to us making a noise.
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