‘How Come That Blood’
Out Now
Watch the visualiser for ‘How Come That Blood’
“they make swirling compositions that blend folk with a decidedly ambient backing” – DIY
“beautifully melodic masterpieces” – Wonderland
“absolute masters of piecing together surreal patchworks of sounds into something that is both delightfully obscure and endlessly interesting” – Line Of Best Fit
“a techno daydream” – Consequence of Sound
Kieran Brunt and Matt Huxley, AKA London based experimental pop duo Strange Boy, return with ‘How Come That Blood’ – a reverent and bittersweet journey through a landscape of tension and release. Featuring angular strings which build over drumless undercurrent of arpeggiated synths, the track captures a cinematic grandeur that carries on endlessly.
Through the melding of Brunt’s classically-trained vocals with Huxley’s electronic soundscapes, ‘How Come That Blood’ has string parts arranged by Bedroom Community staple Nico Muhly and expertly played by the London Contemporary Orchestra. With additional production from Clark, the track is a potent mix of choral ecstasy and communal dancefloor hedonism.
On the track, Brunt says: “I’m interested in telling two stories at once, and using an old tale to explain a new one. How Come That Blood is an old folk song but I’ve rewritten the tune to make it a dialogue between a police officer and a juvenile covert human intelligence source – basically a child spy”
Saturday night and Sunday morning; the sacred and the profane. These are the creative spaces of Strange Boy. Disillusioned with the often elitist hierarchies of classical singing, Brunt had turned his attention to the songwriting world, drawing on his love of storytellers such as The Magnetic Fields, Rufus Wainwright and Anohni. With Brunt weaving a choral narrative on top of Huxley’s atmospheric soundscapes, Strange Boy create a world rich with symbolism, grandeur and communion.
Following on from the bands 2 EPs, 2017s Annunciation and 2018’s Suburbia the pair have kept Strange Boy on simmer whilst pursuing different outlets, namely Brunt’s direction of the vocal group Shards and Huxley’s work in film, theatre and TV composition – ‘How Come That Blood’ brings the band back with a rather profound bang.
