Strange Neighbors is a power pop outfit from New York City. Their music combines influences from all corners of pop music, crafting hook-filled songs that are bound to get stuck in your head. The band draws inspiration from a diverse range of artists, and have been described as a Queer mix of My Chemical Romance, The Beatles, and IRS-era R.E.M.
Founded in Brooklyn by lead singer Aidan Strange in 2018, the band’s current lineup is a sleek four-piece with traditional rock instrumentation. Aidan channels a pop punk passion by way of a teenage career in musical theatre. Drummer Beau Valentine contributes a similarly theatrical edge from behind the kit. Bassist Dana Bennewitz brings her jazz background to the band’s intricate underpinnings, and guitarist Zach Schweikert adds a jangly touch with his nearly exclusive use of a 12-string guitar.
The band writes songs as group, with the common goal of a finely-crafted earworm. Strange Neighbors self-released their first album, How to Human, in 2019, followed by a series of singles collected on the Illuminasti (2020) and Party of None (2023) EPs. They released "Quiet Beat," a cover of an unreleased Doug Hopkins song, in September 2023. In April 2025, the band released their sophomore album, "People Pleasers Pleasing People," on Mint 400 Records.
Photo by Grace Puffer