Stick Man Test

Album: Strawberry Hotel (2024)
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Songfacts®:

  • Strawberry Hotel is Underworld's 11th album, released on October 25, 2024. Now, if you're wondering about the name, it is a metaphorical concept, with each track representing a very different room in this hotel. Some of these rooms are sparse - just a metronomic thrum of bass, the faint, robotic murmur of a voice - while others are labyrinths of melody and euphoric noise. The only thing that's unmistakably consistent is the sense of Underworld wherever you go.
  • The band advises listeners to "Please don't shuffle," emphasizing the importance of experiencing the album in its intended order.
  • Underworld unexpectedly end their Strawberry Hotel album with this sparse steel-stringed guitar instrumental. The band's Karl Hyde told Uncut magazine why the album finishes on a downtempo trajectory.

    "Good stories have a beginning and an end," he said. "We think it gives the record a completeness, leaving you with a gentle hug... maybe even a smile."
  • Underworld's Rick Smith co-produced Strawberry Hotel with his daughter Esme Bronwen-Smith, an accomplished mezzo-soprano opera singer who has won prestigious awards, including First Prize at the 2022 Kathleen Ferrier Awards. Esme has described opera and techno as sharing similar artistic qualities, with both connecting people across cultures.

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