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In front of a handful of people, Bartnes Strange played in the summer of 2022 in the Berlin Club Badhaus. It was a small concert with a grandiose stage presence. What has changed for him since then? “A lot has happened, but nothing crazy. I wrote an album, I was on tour with The National. We were also in Berlin, but in a much larger venue.”
No reluctance
In the United States, there has been a small hype about the indie artist from Baltimore for a long time. He toured Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus with Japanese. He addressed his Famous friendships in the song “Co-Digns”: “I’m in la, I’m with phoebe, i’m a genius, damn / i’m in chitown, i’m with lucy, i just got the stamp / hit up courtney [Barnett; Anm.]“That’s my Aussie,” he raps. Rapping is not exactly the topic of Strange. Or? “Of course I want to win a Grammy. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean that I have failed,” he says in the interview.
With his album horror, the stars stand better for the big breakthrough anyway. None on board is none other than the Grammy guarantee Jack Antonoff. The two became more likely to get to know: “I got to know him in the food area of a festival in Washington DC. He just came across and said that he liked my music. I was shocked that he knew me at all. He then invited me to his studio. Grateful for his generosity and talent, I’m not even almost as big as many of his artists: inside. ” Strange also performed as a feature guest on the last Bleachers album, in the video for “Alma Mater” he played alongside Lana Del Rey and Clairo.
Intimate songs, which you should still open up very loudly
Now his third album is horror. It addresses the artist’s personal fears. “The album is about things that scare me. Not from monsters under the bed, but of life questions. It also scares me to be so honest.” His fears include aging and looking for a home. Strange was born as the son of a military engineer, lived as a child in Germany, Great Britain and Greenland. The slow-rock song “Baltimore” based on the blues focuses on the various stations of his life. “I’ve always asked myself where I can have a safe and cheap life as a black, queer man. There are great places in the USA like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. With these cities, it nevertheless never worked.
Musically, his work is broad: “Wants Needs” pays homage to Americana, while “Lovers” comes as a house number. In “17” he devotes himself to his feelings during teenagers. “The first time I Felt Impending Doom / Was Realizing i’M Too Black for the Room / I was Pushing it down Just for you, for you,” he sings in it. He also changes to the head voice, which gives the track an intimate note before it flows into a dynamic rock anthem.
In any case, the impression is solidified that Bartees Strange has successfully faced earlier fears. “The album ends with ‘Backseat Lover’. I sing that I was sitting in the back seat, but now wants to have more control. So you can get out of hopelessness,” he explains in conclusion. Horror is definitely an early highlight of the year. This sound belongs to the big stages.
Interview / text by: Louisa Zimmer