Gingerale- Maudlin Strangers

I first became infatuated with Maudlin Strangers after I saw them when they opened for Bad Suns last fall; I fell in love with the funk-sounding instrumentals with their indie rock lyrics. I had only been listening to them for the entirety of my school day before I went to the concert that night at The Complex in downtown Salt Lake City. I loved how I could both dance to their music and fall asleep to it. They have the perfect mix of chill and pep, if  that makes any sense.

Gingerale is their first single since they released their EP, Overdose; it only consisted on four songs, but I spent numerous days listening to nothing else. I was overjoyed when I saw that they were working on new stuff, and this song is just what I was hoping for and more. My personal theory is that the title of the song has to do with a very simple cocktail they popularized among their fan base; it contains only two ingredients: ginger ale and orange juice. I have not yet sampled the maudlin cocktail, but I have heard nothing but good things from others via social media.

This single features the funk I mentioned earlier, but adds a new layer to the music that wasn't present on Overdose. The band has added more electronic elements to this single; it sort of reminds me of a mellowed out Robert DeLong. The lyrics tell a story following a love affair with a less than faithful girl, and trying to get over her; while there is a very serious story being told there is still some humor and positive undertones in this song. I've said this in many other reviews, and I HATE being so repetitive, but this song has a lot of the reasons that I first started listening to Maudlin Stranger, yet still shows growth as a band and individual artists. I am very happy to say that Gingerale has surpassed my expectations, and I can only hope that, when it is released, their full length album is even better.

I'm very excited and hopeful about what the future holds for Maudlin Strangers; I can only hope they can keep surpassing my high expectations. They are a very tight knit group of guys with amazing personalities. I have had the pleasure of meeting these amazing musicians, and they were extremely kind and incredibly humble. I am rooting for these guys, but I have a feeling they are going to do amazing things without my support (though I can only hope I have a small part in helping them along).


Maudlin Strangers' Website