Night Minutes is the latest release from New Zealand's Strangers. The group made quite a splash with their 2007 debut, Holding., and the subsequent full-length, Weight.
This six-song 7” release continues Strangers destructive and abrasive metallic assault, beginning with “Voyeur.” It's fast and raw; the guitars are loud and the low end is extremely powerful. Fans of Jane Doe-era Converge and Trap Them will surely eat this up. “Suck & Burn” and “Knots” add further fuel to the fire with chugging riffs and dynamic song structures. The flip-side leads off with a bass-heavy meandering instrumental interlude, “Your Children are Bored.” I could see them mixing a lot of songs such as this into their live setting between the more chaotic ones. “Quotidienne” and “Victory Honey” continue the auditory assault, punishing your ears… but it's okay, because it's damn good.
Strangers is a band I've been championing since I first caught wind of their debut EP. While I feel the music on their recordings are great, I have this suspicion that live these songs are deafening and absolutely destructive. If I ever do my Lord of the Rings tour of NZ, I hope I get to catch Strangers playing a show.
