Guest Room is a release that is extremely rough around the edges, but it is certainly not a case of inexperience. Strange Pink seem to be finding a way to carve out their own corner of the alternative scene, and don’t feel the need to make everything neat and easily digestible. Strange Pink are operating in a backstreet of grunge and chaos that is overwhelming definitely, but doesn’t come across as careless.
The opening track Gone Already makes no introduction, throwing you straight into a fast-paced drumbeat and deliberately unpolished lead guitar that immediately establish the EP’s grungier edge. There’s little time to settle in before the instrumentals get going, with the drums providing a relentless sense of momentum while the guitar lurches in the background. There’s a real charm in the lack of polish here, with the track seemingly more concerned with getting its energy across than making everything sound pristine. Sam Forrest’s vocals really complement the instrumentals here and throughout; he isn’t doing anything revolutionary in terms of vocal range, but it really works with the relatability of this type of music.
What makes this sort of sound work is the balance between its roughness and its accessibility. There’s a fine line between music that feels deliberately unpolished and music that simply feels unfinished, but Strange Pink seem comfortable operating somewhere in between. The grungy and wallowing instrumentals give the tracks a certain weight, whilst the more familiar vocal melodies stop things from becoming too abrasive for their own good. It’s a combination that feels rooted in the classic alternative sound without feeling like a carbon copy of something we’ve all heard before.
Especially in tracks Sculcoates, Seventeen, and Total Nightmare, while the overall feel of the music stays the same, they’re much more hazy and soft, especially in comparison to the opening. These tracks are very reminiscent of In Utero by Nirvana, in the sense that they are slightly more refrained and almost uncomfortable in a way. The fuzzier instrumentals and subdued atmosphere create something that feels a little less immediate but arguably more intriguing. There’s a certain uneasiness to these songs that makes them stand out, the music is really being used to create a mood rather than simply provide volume. What stops this from feeling like a straightforward copy despite the Nirvana comparison is the way Strange Pink make these influences feel natural to their own sound. Rather than leaning entirely on nostalgia, there’s enough character and the contrast between the tracks to give Guest Room an identity of its own.
Despite the consistency in sound, Guest Room never feels entirely one-dimensional, with the shifts between its more aggressive and subdued moments giving the EP movement. You almost get a sense of world building throughout this release, and Strange Pink seem much more concerned with capturing a certain atmosphere within each track rather than building up to something. This works in their favour as it allows the tracks to feel connected without necessarily blending into one another. At times though the deliberately rough production does tend to blur the distinction between songs, with some of the instrumentals feeling more memorable for the mood they create than for anything particularly distinctive. Despite this, there really is something refreshing about a release that seems so unconcerned with convention, and Guest Room’s biggest strength is how it embraces that sense of unpredictability.
Guest Room is a release that finds its strength in its imperfections. Strange Pink may not be reinventing the grunge sound and I wouldn’t say they’re doing anything totally unheard of, but there’s enough character in their approach to stop it from feeling simple or repetitive. The EP’s roughness, crunching instrumentals and moments of restraint give it a personality that can feel unique, even when its influences are clear. There’s still room for Strange Pink to develop their sound and find greater distinction between their tracks, but Guest Room feels like a promising step in the right direction. It’s messy, occasionally overwhelming, and all the better for refusing to play things safe.
Strange Pink: Guest Room – Out 23 October 2026 (Desert Mine Music)
Pink – Sculcoates (Official Video)
