Close To Monday Release Video For “Stranger”
Noted on the ‘Ones to Watch’ list, Europe’s ascendant yet enigmatic electro-pop duo Close to Monday (singer/songwriter Ann and producer Alexander) continue to breakthrough new territory with their monthly series of addictive new singles and cinematic visuals with “Stranger.” It’s a lush and brooding emotional and sonic deep dive into the darker dimensions of love which can compellingly pull us in more than one conflicting direction at the same time, a theme famously explored by many artists including deeply influential Joy Division, a Close to Monday favorite. “The track delves into the shadows of [the characters’] love story, a complex dance where the desire to break free collides with an irresistible pull, creating a vortex of torment and vitality,” the band says. Elaborating on the magnetism of dysfunctional relationships. They add, “Despite their yearning to escape, each attempt only draws them back into the vicious cycle, a paradoxical realm that both torments and breathes life into their existence. The music mirrors this tumultuous relationship, offering a hauntingly beautiful reflection of the individuals’ struggle to break free from a toxic yet life-sustaining bond.” Embodying the obsession portrayed in the lyrics, the production and instrumentation of “Stranger” and its hypnotic vocals and melody churn and burrow deep into your heart where its themes of control and freedom echo and bump against your own memories of love and loss.
To complement these themes, Close to Monday unveil their latest cinematic creation—a film noir-inspired music video that seamlessly integrates their signature choreography with the evocative soundscape of the song. It’s a journey to another dimension. The fusion of mesmerizing light displays, contemporary choreography, and harmonious music captivates the viewer offering a fresh perspective on reality.
The visual follows in their footsteps of their earlier successes with award-winning music videos such as “GUNS,” which clinched the “Best Dance Music Video” category at the International Music Video Awards in London and Rome, and their captivating video for “SPLIT,” which garnered them the title of “Best Music Video” at Music Underground Paris. Being enthralled by a dysfunctional relationship is something that everyone can relate to and the very human lyrics in “Stranger” thrillingly complement the impersonal insistence of the industrial gear with a refrain that is unmistakably organic and equally seductive and menacing. “Your voice is an air / My personal stranger / Feel you everywhere / My personal stranger / My voice is your way / My personal stranger / Go on a whim / My personal stranger…” Echoing the instrumentation of “Pretty Hate Machine” era of Nine Inch Nails,” with a chorus reminsicent of Boy Harsher and CHVRCHES, CTM point haunting synth-pop in a tantalizingly eerie and vibrant new direction. Using a collection of vintage analog and modular synthesizers (Moog DFAM, winter modular eloquencer, modular by beat ppl trinity, Apollo view, piston honda industrial electronics + more), Alexander crafts mesmerizing, machine-perfect beats that conjure a relentlessly churning and swirling soundscape for Ann’s obsessive lyrics and moody vocals to soar in. Close to Monday music is a guide for people who are on a journey, exploring themselves or the surrounding world. Each of the band’s tracks communicate a ‘photo of feelings’ – a ready-made image, a situation reflecting their perception of things happening in the surrounding world and inside themselves, emotional experiences that are familiar to everyone.