Strange Names Are Preparing for Their Debut with Shows and a New Video!

The three Brooklynites from Minneapolis, who make up self-proclaimed Next Wave band Strange Names, (Francis Ximenez, Fletcher Aleckson and Liam Benzvi) have just released the music video for the leading single, “Richochet,” off their imminent debut album, Use Your Time Wisely.

The three gentlemen only very recently replanted themselves in the Big Apple but things are aligning well for the group to breakout onto the scene with a whirlwind of enthusiastic fans behind them.

Use Your Time Wisely is an 11-track record that offers songs all along the spectrum of energy levels –from timeless romantic songs to songs filled to the brim with a quivering sense of livelihood that is bound to resonate with those who love contemporary and upbeat hooks.

The midwestern originating trifecta came to be when Benzvi and Ximenez were enrolled at the University Of Minnesota. Both were integrated in previous groups of one another’s but each departed them to make music with each other. The duo experienced a period of rapid lineup changes searching for just the right people to become lasting fits and this was the routine up until their fifth show. It was at that point that Aleckson became acquainted with the bandmates and unabashedly expressed interest in tending to this point of difficulty:

“Francis, you know what the problem is here. Give me a call when you want to upgrade.”

The rest is history, as the threesome then solidified –growing into an act with heavy local buzz and developing into one of the most talked-about bands around the Twin Cities area. It was with this foundation that the trio eventually decided to move to the east coast and settle in New York City.

Despite the fact that the band had a completely finished album while still back in Minnesota, now in a new place, the band breathed new life into their work and although a debut, Strange Names thinks of Use Your Time Wisely as something likened to a second opportunity, as explained by Benzvi:

“This record was fully recorded back in Minneapolis and then we re-recorded it when we got to New York…and this one is so much better. We wanted to get it right; we had to.”

Strange Names recorded Use Your Time Wisely at The End in Brooklyn, with Andrew Maury in the producer’s chair. Together, Benzvi details how the trio was able to identify the type of sound the band collectively felt best reflected their work.

“When we first recorded, we did it in a large studio and it came out sounding kind of garage rock, even though that’s not our style. This new process was in a small room, something real cozy like a blown-up version of recording in a bedroom, and we got a really clean and controlled sound.”

Use Your Time Wisely will be released on May 19 via Frenchkiss Records.

Pre-Order is available now through iTunes and Amazon.

The brand new music video for “Ricochet” can be watched below!