Track By Track: Popstrangers

Escapism, wanderlust and isolation all inform ‘Antipodes’, the debut album from Auckland trio Popstrangers, writes frontman JOEL FLYGER.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.]

‘Jane’

‘Jane’ is a song written about a future relationship and the predictions of how it will unfold and leave you feeling. It was based around a guitar loop which happens in the intro, and the real feeling of the song comes from that rhythm.

‘In Some Ways’

This song has a slow beginning, which was a guitar recorded into a sampler and then played back and de-tuned. The song was meant to sound uneasy and quite creepy, as it suited the lyrics. It slowly builds and then resolves at the end.

‘Witches Hand’

‘Witches Hand’ is written about the hand of a statue which was sawn on and stolen from a local park in Auckland. The statue was called The Three Witches, and once upon a time I found the hand on a coffee table being used as an ashtray. The song is about looking for something or being called to something and the realisation of this from the outside looking in.

‘What Else Could They Do’

‘What Else Could They Do’ was written about isolation and thinking about what other people are doing at the time of feeling alone, mainly thinking about your friends. Sort of similar to a feeling of missing out on something, and then becoming sinister about it.

‘Cats Eyes’

This song is about certain things that cause wanderlust, and not being able to sit still. And it’s as simple as having to walk around a room because you can’t sit in a chair. A feeling which often comes when your mind is elsewhere. “Well it leads me to my toes, and takes me wherever I want to go.”

‘Full Fat’

‘Full Fat’ was written about leaving New Zealand when I went to the US. I got tricked into buying a newspaper that was over a week old off a person on the street for $1. I read my horoscope and it directly related to my life at the time. It’s a song about travel and the extremes of what one would do to get their own way.

‘Heaven’

‘Heaven’ is a pop song written about escapism crossed with thinking of someone. And wanting to start a new life that doesn’t involve the suffocation of being stagnant and living in filth.

‘Roy Brown’

This is one of the longer tracks on the album. It has a long instrumental intro which was inspired by Boards of Canada, who I was listening to a lot of at the time of writing this record. The song itself is about drawing comparisons between yourself and people you don’t know.

‘404’

This song is a slow sort of warped balled. It’s the one simple sort of love song or “thinking of you” song on the album, but doesn’t quite have a resolve to it either.

‘Occasion’

This song is a slow jam that was written over a looped bass line. It’s quite atmospheric and slow, but is good closure for the album. It was recorded in one take, as it was really the only way to capture any type of emotion instrumentally, which I think would’ve been lost by tracking the song then overdubbing parts.

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‘Antipodes’ is out now through Spunk. Popstrangers visit Australia this week: dates below.

Thurs, Mar 7 – GoodGod Small Club, Sydney, NSW [w/Bored Nothing + Bearhug]
Sat, Mar 9 – The Phoenix, Canberra, ACT [free, w/Bored Nothing + Bearhug]
Sun, Mar 10 – The Gasometer, Melbourne, VIC [w/Bored Nothing + Kieran Ryan]
Mon, Mar 11 – The Tote, Melbourne, VIC [w/Wild Nothing + Bushwalking]