“Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy”

Bartees Strange virtually graced The Soundshop community on Wednesday, April 15, with stories and songs from his recent EP. The event was my first non-work Zoom activity since the pandemic. The intimacy and communal atmosphere were striking — a refreshing reminder that human connection remains restorative, even from afar.

Soundshop founder and ever-hospitable friend Akpanoluo Etteh set the tone for the evening by graciously welcoming us into his home. In his words: “The Soundshop began here in my living room, and to the living room it has returned.”

Musician Bartees Strange opened by sharing the personal experiences, places, and musical influences that have shaped him as an artist. His geographic journey and intertwined notion of “belonging” provided important context for his recently released debut EP.

Born in London to an opera singer mom and military dad, he grew up in Europe, fully embracing his cultural surroundings and opportunity for significant artistic exposure. While his formative years were marked by a strong sense of community, he experienced the opposite when his family moved to Oklahoma when he was 11.

“I was in Europe running around with opera people — super arty, privileged black kid,” Bartees said. When he moved to Oklahoma, he had “bleached blonde hair…a banana-colored track suit with tear-away pants, super British; I made no sense. That’s what I thought was normal, and I got there and realized very quickly that it’s not.”

This move exposed him to music from the black church and Christian hardcore amidst the racism and isolation he found there. The brilliance and depth of his debut EP stems from this dichotomous background.

Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy is a unique reinterpretation of songs by The National, a long-time favorite band of Bartees’ that has voiced their support for his interpretation of their work.

The album’s title is derived from a National lyric that resonated with him and symbolized his own refusal to conform to societal expectations. Over the years, he was pigeonholed into many labels, including “beatmaker” — while making beats, he co-produced “Shabba” by A$AP Ferg feat. A$AP Rocky. This label ignored the diversity of his work, which included playing in numerous hardcore bands at the time. The album is his “goodbye” to a persona defined by others and his shift away from the limitations and labels imposed on him in the music world.

While sharing his story, Bartees performed three songs from the EP: “About Today,” “Going Going,” and “All the Wine.” He added as encores unreleased songs “Boomer” and an untitled song he’d written two days prior. His unique approach for the EP almost can’t be confined to the term “cover” due to the message, sound, and delivery, which are all his own. The primary consistency between his take and The National originals are the lyrics and the undeniable presence of raw emotion.

What’s Next?

He is currently working on a full debut album slated for release later this year. This upcoming album will have a new sound and distinct theme and will explore the fusion of various music styles, hence why it will drop as a separate project.

The digital EP of Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy is available now on Spotify and Bandcamp (where you can find an additional Bandcamp-exclusive track, “Far”).

Press Coverage

FLOOD Magazine
Stereogum
Billboard

— Alexandra Cochrane