Strange Pink blur the edges on gritty debut EP ‘Out of Focus’

With their debut EP ‘Out of Focus’, East Yorkshire’s Strange Pink arrive as a band fully aware of their lineage yet unafraid to rough it up. Across six tracks, the trio strike a balance between noise-drenched dissonance and melodic pull, crafting something that nods to Sonic Youth and Built to Spill while carving out its own distinctly Yorkshire grit.

The opening track ‘Pencil Chewer’, already tested on the airwaves, sets the tone: wiry guitars spin like sparks from a live wire while the lyrics take inspiration from Shakespearean villainy, twisting a centuries-old character into a tale of ego, cruelty, and collapse. It’s a restless, propulsive start that makes it clear Strange Pink have little interest in playing it safe.

From there, the EP veers between dream and abrasion. ‘Wonderland’ leans on woozy guitar textures and bruised tenderness, offering a fragile kind of intimacy. ‘My Friend and You’ drags post-lockdown malaise into apocalyptic imagery, channelling a Thurston Moore-esque guitar scrawl into something both personal and universal. ‘Lucky Charm’ (the band’s earliest composition) carries raw urgency in its jagged tunings, landing heavier thanks to thunderous percussion that anchors its instability.

Their second single ‘Boys Club’ takes the gloves off entirely. With guitars snarling like chainsaws and rhythms that nod to L7’s ferocity, it cuts deep into themes of entitlement and unchecked power, its lyrical bite sharpened by empathy rather than nihilism. Closing track ‘Nowhere’ finds the band at their most expansive, stretching out with aching vocals and atmospheric crescendos that bring the EP to a cathartic, almost redemptive close.

What makes ‘Out of Focus’ stand out most is the band’s chemistry and conviction. Sam Forrest’s songwriting brings both venom and vulnerability, Eddie Alan Logie’s bass adds weight and texture, and Dom Smith’s drumming provides a powerful heartbeat, underscored by his own lived resilience as a disabled musician navigating inaccessible venues. That personal fight infuses the record’s spirit: heavy, uncompromising, but always reaching for connection.

‘Out of Focus’ is the sound of a band finding clarity in distortion, a debut that proves Strange Pink are more than another name in the alt-rock revival. They’re a reminder that grunge’s raw nerve still has something urgent to say in 2025.