Album Spotlight — The Struts: Strange Days, 2020
The Struts - Strange Days album cover. Image credit: The Struts
For the moments you want to embrace your inner diva, whether in a room full of people or the mirror with a hairbrush, let The Struts be your wingmen.
It’s album spotlight time, where we dust an album from the last decade off the vinyl shelf and take a closer look at its brilliance. Whether a cult classic, an iconic piece of pop history, or an independent genre-defying debut… these are the records that deserve a fresh set of flowers.
We’re kicking things off with British glam-rock band The Struts, and their stomping third studio album, Strange Days.
The Struts have been on the scene since 2012, composed of frontman Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliot, and drummer Gethin Davies. They’ve opened for the Rolling Stones and toured extensively around the world, enjoying particular success across the pond, with grandiose stage outfits procured by designer Dame Zandra Rhodes – responsible for some of Freddie Mercury’s most iconic looks.
Queen’s influence is noticeable across The Struts’ sound and visuals, though the band are inspired by, not imitators of, their predecessors… and with official approval. Earlier this month, they released a reworked version of single ‘Could’ve Been Me’ from their 2014 debut album, now featuring the Brian May. That makes it the perfect time to delve into The Struts’ discography, specifically their aptly named 2020 release, ‘Strange Days’.
For fans of glam rock, glitter, theatre and flare, give The Struts a go. And if the chance appears, grab a ticket for an unforgettable live show. The band’s 2019 set remains in my top three gigs of all time.
But first, let’s uncover why ‘Strange Days’ is The Groove’s first album spotlight.
STRANGE DAYS: Confidence, Bite… And A Pandemic
Created during a 10-day quarantine during the COVID lockdown (as so many brilliant albums were), the album is not only a soundtrack to a period of incomparable ‘Strange Days’, but a powerhouse of tracks that sound just as good 5 years later. The prophetic title was not initially in reference to the pandemic, but actually conceived in summer 2019, taken from a voice memo recorded on tour.
The album has a pretty neat roll call: cameos include Robbie Williams, Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Phill Collen and Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), and production credits feature Claudius Mittendorfer (Panic! At the Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Johnny Marr).
“Created during a 10-day quarantine during the COVID lockdown, the album is not only a soundtrack to a period of incomparable ‘Strange Days’, but a powerhouse of tracks that sound just as good 5 years later.”
The best songs on ‘Strange Days’ are those with unlimited confidence. ‘Cool’ sees Spiller teasing an ex’s petty drama to groovy guitar riffs, with lyrical narration that veers into musical theatre: ‘Doesn’t take much brains to see what you were doing… Then again, you were never really bright, in men that you were pursuing.’ It’s a truly enjoyable six minute listen that puts you right in the middle of the party and the hedonistic mindset of someone who just ‘couldn’t give a shit’.
‘All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go’ is the perfect play on your way to a night out – or not. It’s an unserious peacocking that pokes fun at the frustration of being trapped indoors during the weird whirlwind of lockdowns we can all recall if we allow ourselves to revisit those surreal, uncomfortable memories. Even without the context, it’s a great mood booster with a stellar sax and electric guitar solo.
A reimagined version of KISS’s ‘Do You Love Me’ could easily be brushed off as a self-indulgent copy, but The Struts douse it in a certain sarcasm, perhaps even anxiety. Spiller’s increasingly demanding repetition of ‘do you love me?’ is funny and fitting for a time when we were all just about losing our minds, isolated at home. ‘Wild Child’ with Tom Morello is to be taken more seriously, though not without a sense of play.
When The Struts allow themselves time to extend instrumentals and stretch out their sound, the tracks transcend into mini scores. In ‘Am I Talking To The Champagne, Or Talking To You?’, Spiller ditches the hyperbolic deliveries and uses his voice to convey a broad depth of emotion. Without sacrificing the glamour so integral to The Struts, the album finale is a slick slow-build that conveys real pain without losing its cool, moving towards an outro that captures the wild, whimsical essence of ‘Strange Days’.
The Struts: Style & Substance Throughout Strange Days
The Struts imbue their songs with a sense of play, making their heavier, brash sound more approachable to those who might typically avoid it. Rather than taking their ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ image too seriously, Spiller’s regional inflections and constant yo-yo-ing between his self-presentation as a rock god and a flawed human produce an album that’s accessible, fun, and genuinely interesting to listen to.
“This album provided the light relief we were desperate for during the pandemic. In 2025, ‘Strange Days’ can offer the same tonic, as we find ourselves living through them again.”
This album provided the light relief we were desperate for during the pandemic. In 2025, ‘Strange Days’ can offer the same tonic, as we find ourselves living through them again.