Lu-Ee’s Makes Heartache Fun on "Strangers Again"

Hyperpop adds a new face to its glossy repertoire with the arrival of strangers again, the debut EP from Vietnamese singer-songwriter-producer Lu-Ee. The record centers on love, both successful relationships, but mostly the intense pining that comes with a new crush, or a recent break up. Lu-Ee begs the question, “have we become strangers?”

Strangers again, opens with “dôi khi,” or “sometimes.” The track is sung entirely in Vietnamese, an apt decision for the Vietnamese artist. Repeating the song’s title in chirpy tones, Lu-Ee installs the foundation for the rest of strangers again, to come. In a desperate admission of love—sung over production that would have you think otherwise—“It’s time to retreat when your name’s/Echoing inside me night, noon, & day/I hope you’re beside me/I’m always thinking of you/Are you thinking of me?”

A tonal shift “I’ll look so sexy you’ll die/Working my body ‘til you can’t deny,” chimes Lu-Ee on the bouncy “babybabyhey!” It’s a wiry song to challenge your ex. It’s convincing as he sings, “Baby, baby I’ll be okay,” letting the listener know that a break-up is no match for his confidence. Perhaps, beneath the surface, Lu-ee isn’t okay, but this glimmering track can convince you otherwise.

Diana Starshine, an electronic artist based out of San Francisco , appears halfway through strangers again. She offers a glittery appearance on “forever.” The two muse on the spiking heart rates that can come from only a romantic partner. Diana haunts the bridge of the track, balancing out Lu-Ee with her breathy, siren-like voice.

“Strangers again,” the EP’s final track, summarizes strangers again, both sonically and thematically. Lu-Ee sings, “Strangers again, again,” emphasizing the futility of trying to rekindle the love at hand. “I’ll keep running, hoping, yearning, meditating again,” he proclaims. Heavy is the heart that yearns.

Sparkly production combines breakbeat elements with a pop overtone, forging the hyperpop-Y2K sound that rules strangers again. Somewhere between hyperpop and alt-electronica, the EP shows Lu-Ee coming into his own. If you’re in search of an upbeat examination of heart break, give strangers again a listen.