Bring Me The Horizon is without a doubt one of the quintessential emo bands of the 2000s. When the band formed in 2004 and throughout their earlier years, they played metalcore. Think hard-hitting percussion, thrashing guitars, and screaming vocals. But as the band has grown up over the years, so has their sound. You can hear the growth on their latest drop, “sTraNgeRs” which is more formulaic in its composition and shows a more melodic side to singer Oliver Sykes’ vocals.
And although “sTraNgeRs” may be more radio-friendly for Bring Me The Horizon, the intensity of the chorus builds as the song goes, keeping metalcore at the heart of the track. There’s an atmospheric element to the production that brings added emotion and catharsis, especially as it fades into the calculated chaos of the chorus. The only thing I’m left questioning after this drop is wHy wE’rE tYpiNg liKe tHis?
Check out the music video below, inspired by the mental health struggles of the band as well as their fans. But fair warning, it gets pretty dark.
The Meaning Behind “sTraNgeRs”
Here’s what lead singer Oliver Sykes says about the inspiration behind the track: “The song came out of a long writing trip in LA, and as soon as the lyric ‘we’re just a room full of strangers’ came it took on such a deeper double meaning – how it would feel to be performing it live as that’s what it is.. all strangers connecting on this mad level.. and that it was like rehab..”.
He continues, “Coming out of lockdown and the pandemic, everyone is recovering from something and I’m so aware that so many people struggle daily with differing traumas, and just wanted to stress that they’re not in this alone… and we’re a community here to help each other”.
Back in late April, Bring Me The Horizon joined Sigrid for “Bad Life.” It’s a rock ballad encouraging us to see that some hard times and bad moments don’t mean a bad life. Check out more on the track here.
Itching to catch Bring Me The Horizon out on tour? You’re in luck. They’re booked at a ton of festivals throughout the end of October as well as solo dates across Europe and North America. Click here to check out a full list of tour dates.
