A Q&A with Strange Boutique

Post-punk and dream pop textures…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
Monica: The title Let the Lonely Heart Sing is about wishing to find a feeling of hopefulness and positivity when your life and world are in turmoil. The cicada featured on the album artwork is rich in symbolism, including resurrection and transformation. We think having the band itself resurrected after so many years, but with a new feeling and energy, says it all.
Steve: We had spoken about how chaotic the world is at the moment and how we both were looking for positive things to focus on. Those were just random, personal conversations. We hadn’t really talked about a title for the album, but when I heard Monica sing the line “let the lonely heart sing” in the track “Whistle, And I Will Come To You” it resonated with me. I pitched the idea to Monica and loved it.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
Steve: There were two major challenges — we had no permanent drummer and Monica lives 3,000 miles away. So this was the first time we’d ever worked on material outside of a rehearsal room. The process of each of us adding parts and editing demos we were sending back and forth was dramatically different than sitting in a room and swapping ideas. It took us a while to get into a rhythm, but once we did, things came together pretty quickly. Once we had all the demos done, we brought in drummers and string players and recorded everything.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it? If you produced it yourselves what do you enjoy most about producing your own material?
Steve: We’ve always produced our own material. I would be open to working with someone else if I felt they understood what we were about and could add something to the project. I feel like doing it ourselves is the quickest and most direct path to getting our ideas out of our heads and onto tape (or hard drives!).

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
Monica: Here’s a great message from a fan: “Your new album is absolutely lovely and everyone did a great job with the production. I love the direction your music is heading in — I feel like it radiates love and what it means to be human, and it was healing to listen to it.”
Steve: I want our music to be someone’s favourite obsession for a moment. I don’t care how long that moment is — an hour, a day, a week. I just want someone to hear a Strange Boutique song and fall in love with it, obsess over it, internalise it. Then they can move on to the next obsession. I just want to know that we’ve hit people in that way.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
Steve: The initial spark for most of these songs came from a bass line. I usually record a 60–90 second demo of a couple of parts strung together and share it to get some feedback. That’s almost always the starting point for Strange Boutique material. Once that part is out there, the song is open for editing and arranging and of course for people to add their own parts and ideas to the composition. It’s always a group effort. I don’t think we’d work together if we didn’t appreciate what each other adds to the mix.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
Steve: Since we started? The first band that comes to mind would be Killing Joke. We were all such huge fans, and then after doing a show with them in Washington DC in the early 90s, they took us under their wing and got us other US and UK dates. It was eye-opening to see how seriously they took live performances. The focus and intensity really made an impression.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
Monica: I’ve personally played many places with my former band, Faith and the Muse, and I would love if Strange Boutique played Germany and the UK.
Steve: Despite how this last record came together, we’re very much a live-oriented band. So, I would love to see us play as often as possible in as many places as possible. Let’s start with the UK!

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
Monica: From the new album, I would go with ‘Radium Kiss’.
Steve: ‘The Night Birds’ — I think it captures what we do in a single five-minute listen. If that resonates with you, chances are good you’ll like more of our material.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
Steve: I don’t think any of us consider Strange Boutique a career. It’s a passion project. As for any ambitions we have, I think it would be to reach as wide an audience as possible – whether that’s via the recordings, performances, videos or social media.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Monica: Thank you for coming!
Steve: Thank you for being a part of this.

Find out more about Strange Boutique at strangeboutiquedc.com and visit their YouTube channel.