Stranger Every Day chronicles an awkward reunion between former friends that’s plagued by nostalgia, lingering love and a tentative desire to reconnect despite their self-inflicted alienation.
Recorded at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) in 2022, the track draws sonic inspiration from nostalgic pop-rock and singer-songwriter tracks of the 2000s to create a sound that’s both fresh, and a trip down memory lane.
December 8, 2024
Composed, Produced and Written by Interstellar Neighbourhood
Vocals and Piano: Interstellar Neighbourhood
Bass: Lincoln Layt
Guitar: Max Rook
Drums: Robert Brennan
Engineer: Jerry Zhang
Mixing: Sandon Rigg
Backing vocals recorded at Interstellar Neighbourhood’s home studio on Turrbul and Jagera Country
Remaining elements recorded at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) Campus on Gadigal Country, thanks to the Australian Childrens’ Music Foundation (ACMF) National Songwriting Competition.
Lyric Video
The lyric video for Stranger Every Day was created through mixed media digital collage. Countless magazines were scoured for words and other paper assets, which were then scanned and digitally composited! Frame by frame, different elements were animated in time to the lyrics.
I still remember the layout of your parents' house
Even though it’s been a decade since you moved out
I still remember how your laugh used to sound
Before you grew and got the new one you have now
I doubt you remember as much about me
But all your secrets that I swore to keep are still cherished memories
I’m glad we found the time to meet
But I can’t recall who I was
How I should act now you’re here
As we pretend to know more about each other than our names
And facts two or more years out of date
"After all this time you’re just the same"
But how you’ve changed!
All the new lines upon your face
You’re growing stranger and stranger every day
I’d blame our slow separation on time
But I think the both of us know that would be a lie
We both wanted bigger things from life
And we decided losing each other was a reasonable price
In private we sharpened our knives
Waiting and biding our time
Til at once we struck each other’s sides
So betrayed in so much pain and trying not to cry
I still can’t bring myself to like the things you loved
I hate how my mind still thinks of you
When I see the spots we used to haunt
And I know we’ve both moved on
But part of me still loves you… or at least the girl who was
Now we pretend to know more about each other than our names
And facts two or more years out of date
"After all this time you’re just the same"
But how you’ve changed!
All the new lines upon your face
You’re growing stranger and stranger every day
Take me back to the girl I knew
With the hopes and the dreams that she still pursued
When the trees on the main street still bore fruit
And I found a best friend in you
I would trade all I have for those days of youth
Before the world had its way with you
And it tore me up too
But now we've met
And we'll say with some regret
That we didn't quite forget to call each other every Thursday afternoon
We're both upset
You used to know me best
Now I don't know how to let you know that it's no longer true
So I'll pretend to share more with my past self than my name
And facts two or more years out of date
After all this time I'm not the same.
Oh how I’ve changed
All the new lines upon my face
I'm growing stranger and stranger every day
Pretend to know more about each other than our names
And facts two or more years out of date
"After all this time you’re just the same"
But how you’ve changed
All the new lines upon your face
You’re growing stranger and stranger every day
Chorus continues with the bridge overlaid