Starting up with a wavering synth line and some deep bass, Young Strangers has a crisp and initially slightly clinical feel. In contrast to this sound, the track centres on a hurt but hopeful vocal, performed by four-piece Be Good’s singer, Ash Cooke. The sound of Cooke’s vocals, contrasted as they are against a clean yet unfussy electronic backing, evoke the sound of early Hot Chip… Those pre-The Warning tracks that benefitted from a rawness that always tends to rub away with commercial success. It grants Young Strangers an authenticity that is hard to buy.
This is a song about a breakup - the period where two people try to unpick and tease out the edges of their own identity. Sometimes that is carried out slowly and cautiously, sometimes rapidly and dramatically, and occasionally one then the other. Regardless of how it happens, it always happens - thoughts and feelings that were shared become private once more, and with that comes a sense of loss.
That feeling of loss is perfectly conveyed here - the bruising, the feeling of lost perspective both still fresh. But that loss also comes with the weird sense of gratitude, and even hope, inspired by the fact a connection was created in the first place. There is a beautiful line where Cooke references stealing a picture that hints at the complexities in what we feel as things fall apart. The thing that initially sticks out is the hurt felt, and implicitly shared (the picture will be identified as missing). And yet, that action comes from a love that still hums in the background, behind a breakup, particularly those played out more cautiously.
Ash described that feeling as he talked about the creation of the song:
“Some of the lyrics and melodies for Young Strangers had been floating around various voice memos and recording sessions for a while, but they didn't really feel like they had found a home until we paired them with this simple synth bass pattern. (Drummer) Charlie and I spent a few evenings delving into stories from each other’s past relationships to find vignettes to capture in the song. We tried to convey the ambivalence of a certain type of heartbreak where two people are still in love but know they aren't good for each other.”
Young Strangers is taken from Be Good’s forthcoming sophomore EP. Check it out below: