| STREAM // DOWNLOAD “Sweet, sticky and crunchy…” – Tinnitist “If you love that laid back 90s Alt sound with its heavy bass lines, bursts of guitar hooks and crystal clear female vocals, then you will LOVE this new track by Strange Neighbors.” – Punk Rock Philosophy “…hook-filled songs that are bound to get stuck in your head…” – NYS Music |
| BROOKLYN, NY – APRIL 3RD, 2025 – Is ignorance bliss? Would we be happier and healthier of mind if we were lobotomized? Maybe if we had some new fangled 21st Century mind chip to help us cope with the world around us? Or would a new set of problems arise? In Strange Neighbors’ brand new single, “Without a Head,” the band contemplates life without a worried mind – and also life without other vital organs like lungs and ears, because what’s life without some wonder. The NYC power pop-rock band has a knack for crafting buoyant, intoxicating hooks that are fewer and far between these days, and “Without a Head” is no exception. With unrelenting female-fronted energy led by vocal powerhouse Aidan Strange, the band has cracked the code on how to craft earworm after earworm. Frankly, their songs would fit seamlessly into late 90s/early 2000s coming-of-age teen comedies, but naturally with a more modern songwriting sensibility. Premiering earlier today on Music Mecca, “Without a Head” starts off with a curious and contemplative riff, gently leading the listener in as Strange’s mesmerizing voice soon emerges: “Sometimes I think it would be nice to live without my head / I think of all the things that maybe I could do instead / I wouldn’t have to think, or feel, or wonder, or cry / But without a head you know I think that I might die.” After the second verse, which then shifts to the lungs, guitarist and co-songwriter Zach Schweikert displays the band’s versatility with a classic rock-leaning guitar solo with a crystal clear tone that lifts the song to new heights, and returns in the latter half of the track. “You wouldn’t be able to tell by the finished recording, but this song started off as a country tune in the vein of John Prine,” states Schweikert. “It began as like a second-rate ‘Dear Abby,’ where you pick a sort of theme and just run with it – the theme here being cause and effect. It sort of stayed that way for a while until I wrote the music independently, and went back and grafted these lyrics onto it. Musically I think this is one of the more ambitious songs we’ve written. I’ve had the little outro solo in my back pocket for years, and was glad to finally find a place for it in this tune.” Delivering an ever-infectious spirit and unmatched melodic energy, Strange Neighbors is just scratching the surface for their listeners, as their upcoming 10-track album People Pleasers Pleasing People hits streaming April 18th, 2025 via Mint 400 Records. People Pleasers Pleasing People harnesses themes along the lines of “laugh now, cry later.” Lyrically and thematically, the foursome journeys through difficult subjects like the desire to numb yourself from the world (or country) and the pain that comes with it: guilt-stricken breakups, learning to relinquish control, and when love just isn’t enough. “These are topics we think about and work through, but life is too short to not have fun — life is too short to not still try and dance,” says Strange. “So we maneuver through the difficult subjects with groove, contagious beats, humor, satire, and sometimes a bit of shouting.” People Pleasers Pleasing People was recorded and produced by Mike Dwyer at The Bunker Recordings in Catskill, New York. The band has worked with Dwyer on nearly everything they’ve released. “The songs are much more lushly arranged in the studio than their live versions, so Mike is really great at helping us figure out those extra harmonies and overdubs that bring the songs up another level,” says Strange. “He’s also great at being the adult in the room and telling us ‘no’ when we start to get a little too crazy with overdub ideas.” “Without a Head” follows their equally sticky single, “Hate Me Less.” Strange Neighbors has their album release show set for April 17th at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn among other Mint 400 Records artists. STREAM “WITHOUT A HEAD” Spotify || Apple Music || Amazon Music || YouTube || Bandcamp |
 |
| About Strange Neighbors: Strange Neighbors is a power pop-rock outfit from New York City. Their music combines influences from all corners of pop music, crafting catchy hook-filled songs that you’ll be hard-pressed to not find stuck in your head. The band draws inspiration from a diverse range of artists, and have been described as a Queer mix of My Chemical Romance, The Beatles, and IRS-era R.E.M. Founded in Brooklyn by lead singer Aidan Strange in 2018, the band’s current lineup is a sleek four-piece with traditional rock instrumentation. Aidan channels a pop-punk passion by way of a teenage career in musical theatre. Drummer Beau Valentine contributes a similarly theatrical edge from behind the kit. Bassist Dana Bennewitz brings her jazz background to the band’s intricate underpinnings, and guitarist Zach Schweikert adds a jangly touch with his nearly exclusive use of a 12-string guitar. The band writes songs as a group, with the common goal of a finely-crafted earworm. Strange Neighbors self-released their first album, How to Human, in 2019, followed by a series of singles collected on the Illuminasti (2020) and Party of None (2023) EPs. They released “Quiet Beat,” a cover of an unreleased Doug Hopkins song, in September 2023. In November 2024, the band joined the Mint 400 Records roster. |
