8/10

With his debut EP 'Cry & Dance', William Barradale, performing as A Thousand Mad Things, stakes a bold claim in the contemporary synth-pop landscape, channelling the grandeur and emotional volatility of 80s cold wave while infusing it with his own sharply observed queer adolescence. Across five tracks, Barradale navigates unrequited love, adolescent frustration, and secret desires with a theatrical flair that recalls the likes of Billy Mackenzie, Depeche Mode, and Soft Cell, yet remains wholly his own.

The EP opens with 'Wide Awake', a pulsating synth-driven storm that balances claustrophobic tension with an expansive, soaring climax. Here, Barradale’s simultaneously vulnerable and commanding vocal delivery underscores the track’s core themes of insomnia, guilt, and the struggle to maintain composure under pressure. The production moves with fluidity, blending tight synth arpeggios, propulsive drum programming, and dramatic flourishes that feel both intimate and cinematic.

Standout 'Local Guys' is a cheeky, incisive look across the dancefloor, capturing the tension of desire and displacement in suburban queer life. Its playful yet bittersweet undercurrent transforms a personal moment of longing into a universal narrative of invisibility and yearning. Meanwhile, 'Girl' and 'She’s On The Run' explore the complexities of romance and obsession, layering repetitive bass motifs with Barradale’s evocative, almost operatic vocals, crafting miniature worlds of emotional intensity that shimmer with melodrama.

What sets 'Cry & Dance' apart is its ability to marry catharsis with levity. Barradale’s lyrics are candid and reflective, yet his delivery leans into performance as both release and ritual. The EP thrives in these contrasts of dark emotional themes softened by wry self-awareness, tension offset by melodic inventiveness, and personal narrative elevated into a broader pop-operatic spectacle.

Already earning slots supporting The Human League and catching the ear of synth-pop aficionados, 'Cry & Dance' is a vivid introduction to an artist unafraid to explore identity, heartache, and theatricality in equal measure. A Thousand Mad Things proves that the space between angst and exuberance can be exhilaratingly expressive, and that the echoes of the 80s still resonate with fresh, contemporary urgency.