Straylings - Entertainment On Foreign Grounds

Straylings first flared interest after the release of their debut self-titled EP, which in turn ignited glowing praise from countless blogs and set the band in good stead to unleash their debut album ‘Entertainment on Foreign Grounds’. Having grown up listening to the US Navy Radio in her native Bahrain, songwriter Dana Zeena, who has Austrian blood running through her veins too, developed her sound through an eclectic array of influences from her own culture and those imported from the West. Upon her arrival in the UK, Oli Drake, former guitarist from The Veils, teamed up with Zeena and helped create the musical realisation of Straylings.

Opening track ‘Carver’s Kicks’ immediately provokes a sense of sultry Americana, however it is Zeena’s confident vocal performance that will thoroughly absorb a listener’s attention. Weaved within each record with an air of authority, the crafted lyrics of heartbreak and pained frustrations are given a world-worn wisdom by Zeena, allowing the record to resonate with the likes of Patti Smith and Mazzy Star. Accompanied by Drake’s warbling, reverb drenched guitar, ‘The Spoils’ demonstrates the dark depths in which Straylings can navigate their sound, lurking in an opaque atmosphere of subterfuge.

‘Marie and the Dustlands’ exposes a period of melancholic calm in the record, exuding a sense of saddened vulnerability, before crashing straight back into the twanging throes of ‘King Of The Mire’ and ‘Arcadian Moon’, with the latter balanced upon punches of percussion and serene falsetto vocals, driving the track with an unrivalled energy. However the true beauty of ‘Entertainment on Foreign Grounds’ is best seen in its finale, with ‘To Lay Down Roots’ showcasing Zeena’s soulful essence in a climactic and impassioned furor.

Strayling’s debut full length is certainly an exemplary effort, which more than justifies the excitement that has surrounded the band over the past year. Some may argue that the record does not navigate away from its centre often enough, with many of the tracks built upon the same alternative rock premise, however Zeena and Drake have crafted each track with enough care and authenticity to justify their confidence in their own sound.