There are few bands out there working right now with the sheer range of Strange Ranger. Consistently inconsistent, the now New York-based band’s oeuvre has expanded with blatant disregard for genre convention, hopping from emo-inflected angst (see Rot Forever under their original moniker) to emotive indie rock (as on 2017s Daymoon), to 90s throwback alt rock (Remember the Rockets).
Described as a mixtape rather than an album, latest release No Light in Heaven finds Strange Ranger again breaking new ground. It represents their most ambitious shape-shift to date, a collection of experiments that see Strange Ranger push and prod at their sound as if it were a lump of clay, moulding it into totally new shapes that feel drastic even for a band that has never stood still stylistically.
Originally self-released last autumn, the record is getting an expanded re-release, including an exclusive LP edition, via the fine folks at Fire Talk Records. It’s a welcome move, not least because, despite its experimental nature, the mixtape somehow holds together as a whole. The surreal industrial nightmare of opener ‘In Hell’, with its splintered screams and distorted drum machine, sits surprisingly well next to the laidback alt R&B of ‘Stopping Threshold’ and the 80s pop tones of ‘Pass Me By’. With its forays into punchy punk rock (‘Demolished’) and chilled-out dance (‘Cheap Returns/Back To My Home’), shadowy electronica and euphoric art pop, the chaos starts to make sense on some higher level, like fiddling with a radio dial to curate your own disparate playlist (something the band directly imitate on ‘Tales of Romance’, complete with staticky feedback).
One song that didn’t appear on the original release is the oddly melancholic ‘Raver Explanation’. Built on synths, drum machine and digitally-modulated vocals, it feels like a very contemporary pop song, focusing on difficult human connection in our technological age. “This song is sort of about an uneven power dynamic between two people,” Strange Ranger describe. “All that longing with no ability to communicate.” Check out the video by Richard Smith/Powered By Wind below:
No Light in Heaven is out now digitally via Fire Talk Records, with the physical release following in October. Order your copy now via the Strange Ranger Bandcamp page.
