In 2007 Strange Feeling was launched as a sister imprint to Buzzin’ Fly for bands and idiosyncratic artists largely outside the world of electronic music.
The first signing was Danish band, Figurines, whose second album Skeleton had appeared in North America to critical acclaim (‘Perfectly balances art song archness and lonely busker frailty’ – New York Times / ‘An arsenal of refreshing, energetic hooks’ – Pitchfork). The first single in the UK, Silver Ponds, included a deconstructed nine-minute Ben Watt remix, and they travelled to London for an exhilarating debut show at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen.
The same year saw the arrival on the label of Hungarian trio, The Unbending Trees. Based around the husky speak-sing vocals and poetic lyrics of Kristof Hajos and the neo-classical piano of Havasi, their debut First Day EP included You Are A Lover, later covered by Tracey Thorn.
When The Deer Wore Blue, the second Figurines album was released in 2008. ‘Deserves to be the catalyst that places them firmly in the indie-pop big league,’ wrote Clash, but the album remains a largely overlooked gem. A track from the album, The Air We Breathe, was also remixed by Nordic disco specialist Prins Thomas.
The same year saw the debut from Brooklyn’s Tigercity (Rolling Stone’s ‘new favourite band’ / ‘Button-pushing daydream pop’ – The Times) along with the first album from The Unbending Trees, which featured a duet between Hajos and Tracey Thorn on stand-out track, Overture. ‘The understated, poetic beauty of their music is deserving of a wider audience,’ wrote Q.
Tracey Thorn dominated the next four years of the imprint as she left Virgin Records to return to the independent sector. 2010 saw Strange Feeling release her acclaimed solo album Love and its Opposite, produced by Ewan Pearson, and an EP of remixes entitles Opposites. 2011 saw her team up with Everything But The Girl partner Ben Watt on a version of The xx’s Night Time, and the release of a more complete remix project, Extended Plays.
In 2012 she delivered her evergreen alternative Christmas album, Tinsel and Lights featuring cover versions of off-beat seasonal songs from Sufjan Stevens, Randy Newman, Low, Ron Sexsmith and more. ‘Stands comparison with anything else she has done,’ said The Observer.
After a year’s absence she came back in 2014 with two singles of further cover versions: Molly Drake Songs featuring songs by the mother of folk-rock legend Nick Drake; and Under The Ivy by Kate Bush.
In 2015 Thorn wrote, performed and recorded originals songs and music for The Falling, the acclaimed debut feature film by British director Carol Morley. The songs and sketches were gathered together on a mini-album, Songs from The Falling.