Photo credits: Bao Ngo<\/p>\n
Review by Kyra Matteo<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bartees Strange kicked off the first night of tour for his newest album \u201cHorror\u201d on Wednesday night at Brighton Music Hall. Best known for his gender-bending sound that takes inspiration from rock, hip-hop, and even pop, Strange delivered exactly that, pouring powerful vocals over threshing guitar and rhythmic drum beats for a small, but enthusiastic audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Strange is humble and down-to-earth. On the evening of the show, I unexpectedly ran into him on the streets of Allston. I nervously managed a \u201chello,\u201d and instead of just returning the greeting, he reached out for a handshake and asked me my name.<\/span><\/p>\n Growing up with a military father, Strange spent much of his early life moving across Europe before settling down in Mustang, Oklahoma, at the age of 12. His time living in the south inspired his 2020 hit \u201cMustang\u201d from \u201cLive Forever,\u201d which closed out the night\u2019s set. The song grapples with growing up as one of the few black kids in a predominantly white town, and the toll it takes on one\u2019s sense of identity. In one of the song’s most poignant lines, Strange reflects, \u201cWaking up is hard, but see \/ That if I didn’t move the way I did then tell me \/ How else could I be?\u201d His lyrics capture his inner conflict \u2013 the pressure to conform to his environment while trying to preserve his individuality.<\/span><\/p>\n On his latest album \u201cHorror,\u201d Strange continues his introspective journey. The title \u201cHorror\u201d refers not to blood and gore, but to the emotional content he explores within his lyrics. Strange confronts his deepest fears and personal demons head-on, reflecting on the memories that have shaped him into the person he is today. Whether it’s career instability, romantic turmoil, or the hardships that come with being black and queer in America, Strange tackles each topic with honesty and vulnerability. Sonically, \u201cHorror\u201d seamlessly blends driving rock songs with soft, acoustic tracks (and at times, accomplishes both within the same track).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On stage, Strange is a natural-born rocker. His physicality reflects his commitment to the sound, complete with thrashing and headbanging despite limited stage space. His band matched his energy, with a bass player whipping his long hair in sync with the high-energy songs. During songs like \u201cNeed Wants,\u201d a track that describes the essential role fans play in sustaining independent artists, Strange\u2019s voice sounded intense and powerful. He effortlessly played distorted guitar riffs while pushing his vocal range to its full potential.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, during his louder moments, the intensity of crashing drums sometimes drowned out his vocal performance. Instead, the highlights of the night came from the softer moments, when it was just Strange and his acoustic guitar. On \u201cBaltimore,\u201d he reflects on the search for a place to call home, naming cities and imagining alternate lives. \u201cLA\u2019s got everythin\u2019, except for people like mine \/ Thinkin\u2019 bout the lives I don\u2019t have,\u201d he sang in a beautifully low register.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHorror\u201d was created with the help of renowned music producer Jack Antonoff, known for his work with pop powerhouses like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Lorde. However, Antonoff\u2019s influence doesn\u2019t feel too pronounced. Strange\u2019s sound is more confident and polished than previous albums, but his music still feels uniquely its own, largely undisturbed by outside influences.<\/span><\/p>\n On \u201c17,\u201d Strange dives deep into his childhood, recounting the first moments he\u2019s felt isolated as a person of color and the pressure to suppress his identity to fit in. \u201cThe first time that I felt impending doom\/ was realizin\u2019 I\u2019m too black for the room \/ I was pushin\u2019 it down pushin\u2019 it down just for you,\u201d Strange sang to the attentive crowd.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Between songs, Strange spoke casually with the audience. He even offered praise for Boston, aside from one racist encounter. Drawing laughter from the crowd, Strange joked that if someone\u2019s over 70, he lets their racism slide because, \u201cthey\u2019re on their way out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The audience, clearly well-acquainted with Strange, moved in sync with the music. \u201cWe missed you!\u201d a fan towards the back of the room called when he mentioned it had been a few years since his last Boston show. Judging by the crowd\u2019s enthusiasm, it\u2019s safe to say Boston is hoping he won\u2019t stay away so long next time.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo credits: Bao Ngo Review by Kyra Matteo Bartees Strange kicked off the first night of tour for his newest album \u201cHorror\u201d on Wednesday night at Brighton Music Hall. Best known for his gender-bending sound that takes inspiration from rock, hip-hop, and even pop, Strange delivered exactly that, pouring powerful vocals over threshing guitar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21925,"featured_media":48198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,1523,15],"tags":[2380,215],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21925"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48184"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48193,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48184\/revisions\/48193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}