Strange Names

Strange Names formed as an indie pop trio in Minneapolis, where keyboardist Liam Benzvi and guitarist Francis Ximenez launched the project while completing studies at the University of Minnesota. Their self-titled debut EP appeared in 2012 on the Los Angeles-based White Iris Records imprint, and the pair spent the next two years cultivating a local following through Twin Cities shows alongside the Walkmen, Mac DeMarco, Yeasayer, and other established indie acts. Once Fletcher Aleckson joined on a permanent basis as drummer, the group issued the White Iris single “Minor Times”/“Once an Ocean” and, after graduation, moved to New York in 2014. Although they had already tracked an initial version of their first full-length album in Minneapolis, dissatisfaction with those recordings prompted a complete restart at a Brooklyn studio. The revised sessions yielded a tighter, more refined set of material, leading the band to sign with Frenchkiss Records and release the debut LP Use Your Time Wisely in early 2015.