STRANGE BOUTIQUE – LET THE LONELY HEART SING (BLACK/TURQUOISE VINYL) - LP •

STRANGE BOUTIQUE – LET THE LONELY HEART SING (BLACK/TURQUOISE VINYL) - LP •UPC: 634240287091 Label: THE CIRCLE MUSIC Format: LP Release Date: August 8, 2025 In stock items ship within 48 hours Strange Boutique is back with a bewitching new album, Let the Lonely Heart Sing. Since the Washington DC ethereal bands heyday in the underground of the early 90s, Strange Boutique has gone on to enjoy a somewhat legendary status in the annals of goth rock and post punk. The band became known for their very own eclectic brand of

UPC: 634240287091
Label: THE CIRCLE MUSIC
Format: LP
Release Date: August 8, 2025
In stock items ship within 48 hours

Strange Boutique is back with a bewitching new album, “Let the Lonely Heart Sing”. Since the Washington DC ethereal band’s heyday in the underground of the early ‘90s, Strange Boutique has gone on to enjoy a somewhat legendary status in the annals of goth/rock and post-punk. The band became known for their very own eclectic brand of powerful, guitar-driven ethereal pop, with a touch of world music influence and mystical imagination.
The group was a fixture of the DC club scene from 1987-1993. Their shows were a veritable gathering of DC’s misfits: freaks, goths, punks, scenesters and dreamers. Strange Boutique waved a bittersweet goodbye from the stage of the original Black Cat DC club in November, 1993.
A pair of reunion shows in 2004 and 2019 along with Monica Richards’ success in the acclaimed goth act, Faith and the Muse, kept interest in the band alive. Now, thanks to the perpetual, viral nature of social media and a growing interest in post-punk music, a new generation of ears have stumbled upon Strange Boutique. They released three albums: “The Loved One” (1991), “Charm” (1993) and “The Kindest Worlds” (1994) as well as two singles and an EP. All three of their original albums have become revered, “The Loved One” especially, which contains their beloved viral song “Drown”. “Drown” has hit over 7 million streams on Spotify and over 10 million across all platforms.

As the post-punk and goth/rock resurgence is in full swing, the time is just right for Strange Boutique to return, with appreciation for their past yet moving forward with renewed energy. “Let the Lonely Heart Sing” is a captivating new collection of original guitar-driven songs that explore ghostly themes of love and loss, childlike wonder, echoes from the past, and a deep hope for the future. This album showcases the band’s growth while retaining their unique and beautiful goth/dark wave sound. With Dennis Kane‘s shimmering guitars, Monica Richards‘ ethereal vocals, and Steve Willett’s unmistakable chorus-drenched bass, all layered over organic pulsating rhythms, this release is truly enchanting.

Steve Willett served as the main creative force behind most of the tracks, while Dennis Kane also wrote the closing track and contributed his signature guitar sound. The two would send their demos to Monica, who would then write her distinctive lyrics and work on the vocals. Through a combination of Zoom meetings, phone calls, texts, and demo recordings, the song arrangements were completed. Strange Boutique subsequently entered Baltimore’s Magpie Cage studio to track live drums. Additionally, the album features a string quartet adding a rich sonic depth on three tracks.

So far, two singles have been released: “The Night Birds” and “Jet Stream“. These are the first new songs in more than twenty years, generating genuine excitement among fans. The third single “Radium Kiss” is premiering today!

The album cover features a cicada, which Monica explains further:

“I can’t tell you how excited I am for the new Strange Boutique album! I designed the cover as a mystical array surrounding a cicada. The cicada has long been known as a symbol of resurrection and transformation due to its fascinating life cycle. As a Washington DC band, we were very attuned to the cicada every Summer, as well as the 17-year cicadas, when the trees of DC would be filled with their ghostly sounds. This also blends perfectly with the title “Let the Lonely Heart Sing“, which is a lyric in one of our songs. Steve Willet and I felt it is the perfect symbol for a new album cover to show that Strange Boutique is back!” –
Monica Richards

TRACK LIST: