Liverpool two-piece Pale Strangers have released ‘Screaming Dream’, a hard-hitting single that sets marauding riffs against a more melancholic streak and kicks off a new chapter for the band.
Ever woken from a dream so vivid you couldn’t quite find yourself afterwards? That’s the itch Liverpool’s Pale Strangers scratch on their new single, ‘Screaming Dream’, which was due out on 6 November. If your playlists lean towards big guitars and bigger drums, this one’s worth a few minutes of your time.
Two players, a lot of noise
Pale Strangers are a two-piece alt-rock band made up of singer and guitarist James Whitehouse and drummer Luka Caveney-Pulak. Their calling card is marauding riffs paired with drums that are heavy but still groove. Over the last 10 years that approach has taken them from London to Paris to Seoul and back home to Liverpool.
The touchstones are easy to hear on paper: Queens of the Stone Age, Audioslave and Tigercub. Or, as the band put it themselves, if you’re looking for riffs, you’re going to find Pale Strangers.
What to expect from ‘Screaming Dream’
The single blends the duo’s hard-hitting side with a gentler, more melancholic one. That push and pull is the point, and the band believe it’s their finest work by far. It’s a bold claim, but it’s the sort of confidence you want from a group a decade into the game.
It also marks the start of a new era. Drummer Luka Caveney-Pulak brings his own brand of “heavy but groovy” to the mix, and you can feel a band recalibrating around that rhythm. For a two-piece, where there’s nowhere to hide, a shift behind the kit changes everything.
Where to hear it
You can stream ‘Screaming Dream’ here, with links to your platform of choice. To keep up with what the band do next, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
So turn it up, preferably louder than is sensible, and give Pale Strangers a spin. If the riffs land, you’ll know within the first minute.
