“Strange”, the latest single from Daughter of Swords, is claustrophobic and filled with gaunt edges, reaching out to grasp at tenuous connections amid a chaotic blur of sensory bombardments. The droning guitar tones melt into the motorik beat as Alex Sauser-Monnig’s voice winds its way through stark fields of sonic persuasion. Recalling the wiry energy and minimalist production of bands like Gang of Four and Magazine, the song details our disconnect from those around us, the emotional distance that comes from pervasive mistrust and the sublimation of self in service to social norms (and fuck that, Sauser-Monnig seems to say, even as society seeks to silence any dissident thoughts).
“‘Strange’ is a song about feeling alienated by modern life. Or about our inability to collectively self-regulate,” she explains. “The way it feels like humanity writ large overdoes everything in order to feel/not feel only to have a vague sense we’re maybe missing the point and all the while driving ourselves over the brink into the great unknown.”
Listen below.
Alex is due out April 11 via Psychic Hotline. You can pre-order the album here. Follow Daughter of Swords on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
