Strangers In Paradise - The Story EP

These guys are a three piece, alt-rock band from my home town of Harrogate. They've been together since February this year,and this is their debut release. The members came from previous local bands.  With their debut EP, they've gone in an interesting, experimental direction.

In their short time together, they've notched up gigs and The Cavern in Liverpool and have managed to wow crowds with their originality. The boys gave me a chance to review the EP, which includes a guest appearance from local rapper, Tre. Strangers In Paradise are Steve Mosby on Vocals/Guitar, Andy Mosby on Bass Guitar and David Williams on Drums.

Tracklist:-

1. Dr Stress Pt.1
2. Something To Look Through (Featuring Tre)
3. Crosswire
4. Dr Stress Pt.2 (Featuring Tre)
5. Hidden

Dr Stress Pt.1 is very much an intro track, with gently plucked guitar and bass that builds quite an atmosphere. Something To Look Through is SIP's first full foray and it starts with proto-indie riffs and moody vocal melodies that give way to the rapping of guest, Tre.  Straightaway, it takes you aback, as there aren’t many bands currently playing music like this that are brave enough to collaborate on this scale. The production is clean and clear, helping to bring out the best in SIP's sound and as the mid section heralds an introspective section that sound lime something the Beatles would've written, you realise that these guys mean business. Swirls of guitar infiltrate this section and SIP move back into a melodic passage, that fades out and leads you too Crosswire.

Crosswire has a real feel-good vibe to it thanks to the guitar melody. The vocals again have a moody, bluesy twang and the band rely on chunkier riffs to emphasise the chorus. It's a mid-paced song, but with the use of cleverly placed electronic effects and a Muse inspired guitar passage, it keeps you guessing. Overall, it's pretty chilled out stuff. The end of the song however, shows the band in full, progressive mode, with a pretty hair-raising final guitar section. You get wailing guitar on Dr Stress Pt.2, which might be a hint to the bands influences and with the rap of Tre running over the top, it's an original and enthralling sound.

Final track Hidden is another chilled out affair, with subtle drumming and melodic guitar. It gives way to a full-on chorus with some great musical flair. Strangers in Paradise haven't gone for volume here, they leave that for their live shows. Talking of their live shows, I've seen them twice now and each time I've been flawed by the volume they hit and though this is a departure from what I normally review, I can see a lot of element hear that will see them sit comfortably next to other bands I've featured.

If you like music with substance, skill and experimentation at it's heart (and let's face it, if your reading this here, you will do), you should be listening out for these guys as they are going to make waves.

To see what I mean, you can listen to The Story below, via the band's Bandcamp page:-


Currently, the EP is only available digitally, so if you like it you can pick it up from the above Bandcamp page for £3.50.

Strangers In Paradise are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/strangersinparadiseuk and you can seek out Tre at http://www.facebook.com/trelad1