STRAND – Strange Hill (2025)
Technically formed in 2018 by a bunch of schoolboys with music in their veins and songs in their hearts, STRAND began life as Soundstrand. With raw punk roaring from the Dublin band, Soundstrand was loud and brash; however, over the years, the lads began exploring other sounds, experimenting, honing, and rebranding as sleeker, poppier, and more in touch with their indie side. From their first release in 2024, ‘American Radio’, to the well-received 2025 EP, Can You Blame Us?, STRAND are turning heads quickly and building a following beyond their Irish borders. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Strange Hill’.
Keeping the momentum going, ‘Strange Hill’ follows the critically acclaimed Can You Blame Us? – a five-track EP featuring the highly popular songs ‘Upside Inside’ and ‘Progress’. Penned and performed by STRAND with production by Keelan O’Reilly, ‘Strange Hill’ is not a progression or digression or potential evolution for STRAND; it sticks to the current tried-and-true, cementing the group as an upcoming talent in the indie music world.
Slipping back a couple of decades, ‘Strange Hill’ drags us to the days of The Strokes, Vampire Weekend and The Shins breathing nostalgic breath into whispers of the indie-rock yesteryear. Waving his magical production wand over the track, O’Reilly draws together a bold bass, pulsating drum, and dynamic guitars in a riff-laden rush of toe-tapping indie-rock. From the opening riff to the closing drumbeat, every chord keeps STRAND stepping up the ladder fixed between sophisticated maturity and youthful jubilation.
Fun, infectious, and the perfect song for a road trip or to make your dreary day happier, STRAND offer a bright light with ‘Strange Hill’. Yet, the melody is underlined by a weightier theme and message. The band explain:
“’Strange Hill’ is a song about being stubborn – knowing something is wrong but being willing to die on that hill for no apparent reason. It’s nearly a human universal, that individual experience intransigence that everyone goes through in one way or another.”
Find out more about STRAND on their X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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