Strangers, Pt. 1

RAC’s Strangers, Pt. 1 is a collection of blatant pop tracks, but if you can move past the slightly repetitive beats, it won’t take you long to appreciate the record’s sweetness.

Remix Artist Collective, a project that started as a group of international artists who came together to produce a collection of remixes, is now the solo project of the founder, Andre Anjos. Strangers, Pt. 1 is Anjos’ first album of original tracks, with each song inviting incredibly catchy melodies.

The record opens with ‘Let Go’, a celebration of Kele Okereke’s smoky tones and autotuned backing vocals from MNDR. The track kicks off the beat that struts through the rest of the collection, dragging along with it a star-studded list of guest artists including Tegan And Sara and Tokyo Police Club (fans of the latter will remember RAC’s remix of ‘Be Good’ that helped boost their popularity back in 2007).

Bringing the cuteness is ‘Ello Ello’, another impossibly boppy track you just can’t help but chair-dance to, before Penguin Prison’s ‘Hollywood’ takes it down a notch with a tight, polished sing-song sound. Breaking things up at the halfway mark is ‘Cells’, a much-needed interlude that couples cascading electronic harps with ghostly cries.

It’s a short but sweet second act, with Tegan And Sara lending their signature vocal blend to ‘Hard To Hold’, a more dramatic track featuring violins, cellos, and the lyric “baby, you don’t deserve me” – a line that is never not gratifying.

Fun and feel-good music at its finest, the best thing about this record is that there’s going to be a Pt. 2.

Listen to ‘Let Go (feat Kele & MNDR) from Strangers, Pt. 1 here:

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