Discourse (Northern Light)

Sex With Strangers is not just Vancouver’s best-named band, but one of its most prolific. Next month releasing its sixth full-length album in just eight years, the group has covered everything in its lyrics from dystopian robot narratives to knife-sharpening. Despite having a significant back catalogue, however, the group still has a lot to talk about—and the new record, aptly named Discourse, is Sex With Strangers’ most lyrically astute to date.

The album’s second track, “Gift of Fear”, makes excellent use of the collective’s signature boy-girl vocals. Interspersing different narratives, singers Hatch Benedict and Shevaughn Ruley tell a story of heartbreak and struggle from alternative perspectives. Combining their voices for the powerful chorus hook—“If I can offer you enough/Why do you settle for nothing”—as the band drives the song forward with a thumping beat and bass line, Sex With Strangers showcases how far its songwriting has progressed since its 2008 LP, The Modern Seduction.

Gone are the band’s poppy synth lines of albums past. Working with producer Jason Corbett (Jacknife Sound), the group has fully embraced the new-wave, postpunk, and ’80s vibe hinted at on its previous album, You Know Something We Don’t?. Drummer Dan Walker has space to shine with intricate drum fills and complex double-bass pedal rhythms, Mike Gentile’s fuzz-driven bass lines add musical contrast to the darker tracks, and Cory Price’s guitar provides melancholic accents on tracks like “Tous les Trous” and “Beth II”.

Needless to say, Sex With Strangers still has a lot left to discuss. And, contrary to the band’s name, it’s not all about swingers’ parties in seedy basements.

Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter @KateWilsonSays