THE STRANGLERS

Dark Matters (COURSEGOOD/ABSOLUTE)

When The Stranglers began recording their 18th album, it was the first since drummer Jet Black had retired in 2015; by the time it was completed, it was also the last to feature keyboardist Dave Greenfield, who passed in 2020. A bittersweet air thus hung over Dark Matters, notably on the poignant And If You Should See Dave – but it couldn’t overshadow their best album in decades; an artistic evolution, never a nostalgic self-parody. Standout track: White Stallion