Bartees Strange
Bartees Leon Cox Jr., known professionally as Bartees Strange, is an English-born American musician. Strange was born in Ipswich, England, raised in Mustang, Oklahoma, and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Early life
Strange was born in Ipswich, England, to a military father and opera-singer mother. The family moved from England to Germany, Greenland, and various US states, before settling in Mustang, Oklahoma, when Strange was 12.Before becoming a musician, Strange worked as the director of communications for a nonprofit environmental organization in Washington, D.C.
Career
While living in Brooklyn, Strange was a member of the post-hardcore band Stay Inside, from 2016 to 2018. In late 2017, he released his first solo effort, the acoustic folk EP Magic Boy, under the name Bartees & the Strange Fruit.In March 2020, Strange released an EP of re-imagined covers of songs by the National, titled Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, on Brassland. After being named an "Artist to Watch" by Stereogum in 2020, Strange released his debut full-length album, Live Forever, on October 2, 2020. Featuring a mix of hip hop, indie rock, and jazz music, the album received positive reviews. Strange toured throughout 2021 and 2022, supporting artists such as Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Courtney Barnett, and Car Seat Headrest.
In 2022, Strange released his second album, Farm to Table, to critical acclaim. In 2025, he issued his latest record, titled Horror.
Personal life
Strange is bisexual.Discography
Studio albums
- Live Forever
- Farm to Table
- ''Horror''
EPs
- Magic Boy
- Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy
- Magic Boy
- ''Shy Bairns Get Nowt''
Live albums
- ''Live at Studio 4''
Singles
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Plead Insanity" | 2020 | rowspan="2" |
| "Goldbrick Champion" | 2020 | - |
| "love that 4 u" | 2022 | frenemy |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
| "It's Gold" | 2020 | Project Diem | Pluto |
| "Milky" | 2020 | Project Diem | Pluto |
| "Top of the World" | 2020 | Dave Hause | Patty |
| "Monsters" | 2021 | Hit Like a Girl | Heart Racer |
| "The Pearl" | 2021 | Lorenzo Wolff | Down Where the Valleys Are Low: Another Otherworld for Judee Sill |
| "You Always Hurt the One You Love" | 2024 | rowspan="2" | The New Look |
| "Big Glow" | 2024 | I Saw the TV Glow | - |
| "Wolf Like Me" | 2024 | Anjimile, Kara Jackson | Transa |
| "You Are Special to Me" | 2024 | Cadence Weapon | ROLLERCOASTER |
Remixes
| Song | Year | Artist | Album | Title |
| "Bone Skull" | 2021 | Glass Beach | alchemist rats beg bashful | Bartees Strange Remix |
| "Smartest Man" | 2021 | Homeschool | Homeschool: Book I | Bartees Strange Remix |
| "Pool" | 2021 | Samia | The Baby Reimagined | Bartees Strange Version |
| "Dreams" | 2021 | Hannah Georgas | All That Emotion Versions | Bartees Strange Remix |
| "Emergency Equipment & Exits" | 2021 | Ganser | Look at the Sun | Bartees Strange Remix |
| "Pool Hopping" | 2021 | Illuminati Hotties | rowspan="2" | Strange Pool Remix |
| "Kyoto" | 2021 | Phoebe Bridgers | Bartees Strange Remix | - |
| "Figure 8" | 2023 | Paramore | Re: This Is Why | Re: Bartees Strange |
Production discography
Tours
Headlining- 2021 tour
- Phoebe Bridgers – Reunion Tour
- Lucy Dacus – 2021 tour
- Courtney Barnett – North American tour
- Car Seat Headrest – North American tour
- The National – 2022 tour
- Metric – The Doomscroller Tour
- Boygenius – The Tour
- The National – 2023 European tour