A riveting, theatrical synth-pop allure shines throughout Cry & Dance, the new EP from A Thousand Mad Things. The project of William Barradale channels the melodrama of ‘80s icons like The Associates, Depeche Mode, and Soft Cell while carving its own space with lyrics steeped in queer adolescence, desire, and self-discovery. “All the artists that I like have some form of distress or frailty or release in their performance, it’s about that catharsis,” Barradale reflects.
“Wide Awake” opens the EP in impressive form, showcasing the project’s balancing of stylish moodiness and hooky immediacy. Arp-y synths and solemn vocals ascend steadily. “And now my bones, they shake,” they let out during a magnetic expanse, where starry-eyed synths and expressive backing vocals infuse with replay-inducing invigoration. “My worries keep me wide awake,” the vocals continue, capturing sleeplessness, anxiety, and the reluctant but necessary reliance on others to stay grounded. Ensuing track “Girl” exudes a more sensual intrigue, reminiscent of Depeche Mode in its brooding synth tones and “a familiar voice…” vocal momentum; the subtle string infusions here also prove spine-tingling, as do the lyrical perspectives of lust, desire, and infidelity.
Another standout track, “Local Guys” continues to tout an immersive reflection of desire — here situated within a mixture of glimmering and darker synth work, as the vocals navigate seamlessly with confession-like passion. “I used to look for love in them,” they exude with palpable yearning, retracing unreciprocated infatuation with heterosexual local men in suburban towns — and the hope for them to “see the other side of me.” The EP closes strong as well with “She’s on the Run,” which feels especially indicative of the Associates influence in its dreamy synths and escalating vocal immersion, and then the finale “My Car” — a heartrending, smitten synth-pop charmer with a lushly absorbing captivation. With Cry & Dance, A Thousand Mad Things captures both the grandeur and fragility of pop’s darker corners, transforming vulnerability into something cinematic, defiant, and deeply human.
The EP releases on October 3rd.
