Though penned pre-pandemic, the yearning lamentations speak directly to weary lovers, repeating, “Let me keep you wondering / I wanna be strangers again.”īefore there was Blue Cactus, there was Steph Stewart & the Boyfriends. The Chapel Hill-based duo’s sophomore LP, Stranger Again, out May 7 on Sleepy Cat Records, is anchored with a titular sentiment that resonates with cohabiters everywhere, especially after weathering the past year at home. She’s climbing into “Stranger Again,” the title track of her upcoming album with Mario Arnez as Blue Cactus. "We’ll pretend we’re lovers / Something more than friends / Right beside you, but I wanna be closer than this,” Steph Stewart sings with mournful levity. And maybe, that’s just what being a normal grownup is.Blue Cactus: Stranger Again | “The Golden Age” gives us permission to escape the pursuit of an impossible dream in impossible times, a reminder that it’s ok to not be ok. All of the dreams we were told about being an adult – owning a house, having kids, retiring – are inconceivable for most of our generation in today’s world. Beck’s music became part of the soundtrack of growing up, trying to carve out some identity that said ‘I fit in and also I’m different.’ In many ways, we still feel like that same kid- in our mid-30’s, unmarried, childless and choosing to continue pursuing one of the most unstable career paths during one of the most uncertain of times.
We were introduced to Beck’s music as angsty pre-teens who were beginning to enjoy things our parents didn’t like. But what makes it especially interesting is the way they incorporate strangely pleasing instrumental flourishes throughout to make this a truly unexpected and dynamic listen.īlue Cactus describes the inspiration behind the choice to cover the song: Relying mostly on acoustic instruments, Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez provide gorgeous vocal interplay that really captures the folk power of the original song. Compared to the original, Blue Cactus strip things down even more and let their harmonies shine. Now Sleepy Cat Records is gearing up to release a new compilation called Cruisin’ on August 2nd and Blue Cactus are making an appearance with a cover of Beck’s “The Golden Age.” Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the song, which originally appeared on Beck’s highly underrated 2002 album The Sea Change. Throughout Stranger Again, they explore loss and longing, self-love and reckoning with personal, political and human struggles. The otherworldliness of the music is a perfect contrast to their distinctly grounded, human storytelling lyrics. Stranger Again is a deep dive into Cosmic American music, with the band taking their sound into ambitious new planes, where country-rock meets light psychedelia as the soaring vocals meet twangy slide-guitars and propulsive bass-lines.
Blue Cactus, the North Carolina duo of Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, make Dream Country: a blend of grit, glitz, groove, and twang that evokes a celestial soundscape of mid-century heartbreak.įollowing their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020 their evolution is made plain on their sophomore LP, Stranger Again, released on Sleepy Cat Records.
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