"I don't want to be your lucky charm / that you have to keep on your arm / out of habit / if there's not magic / just keep it static / out of harm..."
The artful tubular tensions of alt rock and 90's post grunge leans of "Lucky Charm" by Hull, UK's 3 piece Strange Pink appeal to me right away and while the reasons might be many, they might be hard to pin point but that's ok with me. I am loving the blend of quiet and loud, the progressive meets dreaminess, the alt rock meets post punk that had me feeling hints of Built To Spill (circa Center of the Universe) and the Daniel Blumberg YUCK years. This is not the trios first rodeo (so to speak), Sam Forrest (vocals / guitar), Eddie Alan Logie (bass / BVs) and Dom Smith (drums), who consider bands like Sonic Youth and Built To Spill as inspirational touchstones, have had success in previous musical outfits. Sam previously found success as frontman for Island Records band Nine Black Alps and York band Sewage Farm, while Eddie and Dom have been honing their craft in local Yorkshire bands Mary And The Ram, Creature Honey and RUNoffthestatic.
"Lucky Charm" is the final single from the band's new EP, "Out Of Focus" that just dropped on August 22 via Forever Underdogs and hope you check it out.
Sam Forrest (vocals): "I wrote the song absentmindedly playing my guitar in a weird tuning - probably inspired by the Thurston Moore instrumental album Screen Time. Lyrically it’s a a fairly emotionally needy song. I am not that needy, just the words needed to fit the suspended chords. It was one of the first songs I brought to the band, originally was supposed to be faster, but Dom’s drums make it darker and heavier."
Perusing the "Out Of Focus" EP reveals such a dynamically vast sound. From the super potent, massive propulsions of "Pencil Chewer" that floats between such dreamy stance and full blown sort of glam dipped guitar breaks to the emotionally dark / musically mysterious "Wonderland", to the sort of feargach punk throttle of "My Friend and You" that feels like a bloody nosed mosh pit, to the jagged almost Buzzcock-ian / meets grunge pummel of "Boys Club" to the hazy and pretty flowery post punk ruminations of "Nowhere". Such an artfully cohesive and emotionally complex EP-- totally.
High praise the the universe building here. Kudos to Sam Forrest's artfully heavy guitar shapes and graceful vocal countenance as well as Edward Alan Logie's bass melodies and Dom Smith's drumming that possesses both subtle and dramatic shape shifting. The fact that Dom is a musician with cerebral palsy was a total surprise and an inspirational one at that.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[As a musician with cerebral palsy, drummer Dom describes his journey as wonderful, but not without challenges, like having to literally crawl onto stages and avoid tripping over wires! Since being told he wouldn’t be able to achieve certain things growing up (like being in a band!), Dom has gone on to tour the UK, Europe and Asia in grind-doom metal band The Parasitic Twins, create inspiring alternative electronic music in Mary And The Ram and is currently working with one of his favourite songwriters Sam Forrest and one of his favourite musicians Edward Alan Logie in Strange Pink. Such achievements he finds highly satisfying but that said, at a grassroots level, he’d like venue managers and promoters to be more accessible in general. There are many venues out there doing great work for neurodivergent and disabled musicians which he applauds, but traditionally people are afraid of what they don’t understand and that can create barriers for many people with additional needs.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/strangepinkband/
https://www.facebook.com/strangepinkmusic/
https://www.youtube.com/@STRANGEPINK
Strange Pink are Sam Forrest (vocals / guitar), Eddie Alan Logie (bass / BVs) and Dom Smith (drums). Collectively inspired by bands like Sonic Youth and Built To Spill, Sam previously found success as frontman for Island Records band Nine Black Alps and York band Sewage Farm, while Eddie and Dom have been honing their craft in local Yorkshire bands Mary And The Ram, Creature Honey and RUNoffthestatic.
'Lucky Charm' is the final single from the band's new EP, 'Out Of Focus' out on August 22 via Forever Underdogs.
Strange Pink are Sam Forrest (vocals / guitar), Eddie Alan Logie (bass / BVs) and Dom Smith (drums). Collectively inspired by bands like Sonic Youth and Built To Spill, Sam previously found success as frontman for Island Records band Nine Black Alps and York band Sewage Farm, while Eddie and Dom have been honing their craft in local Yorkshire bands Mary And The Ram, Creature Honey and RUNoffthestatic.
'Lucky Charm' is the final single from the band's new EP, 'Out Of Focus' out on August 22 via Forever Underdogs.
Strange Pink, Hull England, UK, alt rock, post punk, lo-fi, grunge, post grunge, indie rock, Sam Forrest front man, tubular guitars, massive sound, dreamy sound, shape shifting storytelling, "Lucky Charm", EP "Out Of Focus",
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