In January of last year the Manchester musician Stefan Melbourne mutated into We Were Strangers and in one fell swoop shed his hitherto indie-folk singer-songwriter skin. Overnight he evolved into something that was altogether more grand and exultant.
Not to be mistaken with the 1949 John Huston movie of the same name, the musical project We Were Strangers captures much of the passion, atmosphere and dramatic tension that were otherwise missing in that comparatively lesser light in the great American film director’s sparkling canon.
This much was clear in We Were Strangers’ debut offering ‘I Believe’ and these themes are consolidated and developed in its powerful follow-up, ‘Unforgiving War’. Produced by James Kenosha and complemented here by a video directed and shot in his hometown by the Leeds film maker Declan Creffield, the brand new single reflects the sad denouement of an intimate relationship. Over a taut, minimal arrangement, Melbourne’s voice captures perfectly the darkness and despondency of these final moments.
We Were Strangers will be performing at this year’s High & Lonesome Festival on Saturday 19th November 2016.
