The claustro-philic atmospheres of The Strainge’s debut single Don’t Misunderstand Me

If you like to dwell in the confusing sounds accompanying an awakening inside the trunk of someone's car, Don't Misunderstand Me was made for you.

Its disorienting opening could either be a freefall into the darkness or a slow ascent towards heavenly clouds: it’s the first. The repetitive lyrics echo all around inside the tunnels you are trying to escape from; “It might make me happy / If I decided to just disappear / It might make them happy / If I decided to just disappear”. 

The muffled bass drum could come from a party upstairs, or it could be you beating against the closet walls where The Strainge holds you as a hostage. This song leaves you with a sense of unease, of the kind that will probably bring you back, like when you poke on a bruise, and it hurts good.

This independent British artist remains anonymous on his socials, apart from enigmatic peeks in his personality provided by videos on TikTok (e.g. his legs sat on the toilet, drawing of a penis on his foot — all relatively normal things).

However, not so mysterious are his influences. His playlist called ‘songs that either directly influenced Don't Misunderstand Me or that I think Don't Misunderstand Me ended up sounding like’ tells us precisely where he comes from (the 80s) and leaves us wondering where he is going.