‘I’ll Be Waiting’ is the latest single from Manchester five-piece Gathering of Strangers. A track that started life in 2020, the tail end of last year saw this tune transcend from an exclusive treat for gig-goers to an anthem available for all the loving masses. And boy, was it worth the wait.
In their latest track, Conor Rabone’s powerful and moving vocals are paired with dreamy guitar riffs, ethereal pads and addictive beats all brought forth by Bruce Higgs, Tom Wingate, Peter Crampsey and Andre Ilkiw. This delectable concoction makes for a high-powered ambience that lifts moods, injects motivation and of course, has listeners reaching for ‘repeat’.
The band’s commitment to bringing endless bops to the indie-pop scene is crystal clear with this latest release, fitting perfectly alongside their other colourful hits including ‘The World Stopped Turning’ and ‘Red & Gold’.
A few weeks after the track hit streaming platforms, lead vocalist Conor took to Instagram to weave the tale of what was to become ‘I’ll be Waiting’. In the post he confesses;
“…As everyone knows songs come and go but this one stuck with us and after 3 years of picking it apart and then seeing at shows how much you guys loved it, we finally got it to a point we loved and couldn’t not release it…” Gathering of Strangers
With a mixture of unique and other-worldly guitar riffs, ballad-esqe drums and lyrics that hit right in the feels, ‘I’ll be Waiting’’s crescendo from bridge to chorus perfectly emulates the tantalising build-up to feeling ready to leap into a relationship that just feels right – despite not knowing what lies yonder.
With lyrics that tell us “Whatever will be will be” and to “Take that leap straight out of the darkness”, ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ is the ultimate addition to the soundtrack of life, especially as we take on the new year.
For a band that initially consisted of five strangers, ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ provides yet another example of all the love and raw emotion that they’ve managed to conjure and weave into their music. As 2023 held multiple stand-out achievements for the band, such as touring up and down the UK and being named BBC Hereford & Worcester Introducing’s Artist of the Week, the admiration for this latest track only further confirms their upward trajectory. Without a doubt, there are great things in store for Gathering of Strangers in 2024.
Written by Charlotte Niblett
