IT are a band that for some strange reason has managed to pass me by. I am unsure of the reasons behind this as I enjoyed their 2017 album We Are All In This Together very much indeed. In fact, I recall playing songs from it on my radio show back then and never got around to reviewing it.
Fast forward to 2026 and I find myself being made aware of the band’s not insubstantial history. This is due to the fact that founder member Nick Jackson decided to remaster the very first album The Stranger Inside The Self.
For those who like myself haven’t fully explored this band I will just begin with a potted history of IT.
Beginning life back in early nineties as a psychedelic, multi-media project it wasn’t until 1994 that Nick Jackson wrote, recorded and produced The Stranger Inside The Self at the age of twenty. The ensuing years saw the release of numerous albums and the project expanding into a band with the addition of Andy Rowberry playing guitar and contributing towards the writing. The band have also since become an exciting band to enjoy live especially with the inclusion of their multi-media presentation to illustrate the concepts of their music.
Originally The Stranger Inside The Self was only available on self made cassette tapes. It was only in 2020 after some fans had managed obtain copies of the deleted album and more fans asking for copies that Nick Jackson decided begin work on what would be the album’s 30th anniversary edition which is the subject of this review.
It would be very easy to to remix the album and remaster it in true Steven Wilson fashion with all of the modern sonic tools and software now available. However, a more radical approach has been taken to not only resurrect the original album, but to completely re-engineer it. This is taking the same approach as demolishing an existing house and building a more sophisticated and up to date design utilising the original foundations.
The original album consisted of ten songs, all of them nicely composed and fairly well recorded. The sound is crisp, precise and nicely sequenced. I found the original 1994 version of the album an enjoyable listen and as a consequence found myself scratching my head as to why changes of any kind would need to be made to this. Surely just a spruce up in the studio and a quick re-release via the usual outlets would suffice?
With this in mind I listened to the new 2026 version of the album and immediately became immersed. What becomes immediately apparent is the sheer scale of every song. Considering the minimal input from external musicians on the original 1994 recording it is plain to see by the volume of personnel involved on the new production as to why it sounds so huge.
As well as Nick Jackson playing guitars/bass/keyboards/percussion and of course singing, there are many fine contributors too. The core of the band being Andy Rowberry playing guitars/bass and backing vocals, Mark Gatland bass/backing vocals and Tom Ashcroft drums and percussion.
In addition there is a host of backing singers too. Namely Jessica Clemmons, Hetti Harper, Fiona Fey, Ryan Brunton, Mark Cunningham, Jane Jelinek and Char Pottruff.
The 2026 production of the original album consists of all the original ten songs with only some minor lyrical alterations. What is different is the depth and scale which is noticeable from the very beginning of the first song. Starting with the title song The Stranger Inside The Self the first thing I noticed that deep subsonic bass drones have been added to the mix and that all of the instruments have their own space to breath. There is a lot more subtlety to the overall mix. The crackling fire and woodland sounds that set the scene are still there, though merge into the Rhodes and crystal clear guitar better due to the improved soundstage. As well as the Roger Waters style echo on the voice at times the gritty guitar and overall size of the musical landscape represent the loneliness and inner turmoil reflected in the lyrics perfectly.
Debut single from the album I Won’t Pray On Sunday reveals the first guitar hook to become an earworm throughout the ten finely crafted songs. The main theme danced around in my head for days. The soundstage is huge and filled to the brim with percussion, castanets and many other nuances. Despite the song’s protesting nature it remains bright and airy with a smooth synthesiser break at three minutes in sharply followed by a snappy guitar solo. The host of backing singers really make their mark hear too. Such is the scale of the piece I noticed the soundstage expanded in width to exceed the parameters of my full range speakers and that of headphones too.
A little more edgy in feel and that of Prog metal is More (Sanitary insanity). There’s some great Hammond organ throughout this song lending some weight to the power chords of the guitar. It did remind me a little of certain parts of The Wall by Pink Floyd. Where it differs is in the full progression of a full blown dark metal sound at the songs finale.
Once again the fine harmonies of the backing vocalists herald the beginning of Waiting For The World. This song has an American feel about it and has a great use of samples and effects. I interpret this song wanting to belong, and as a consequence really struck a chord with me personally.
Another quality of the album is the accessible nature of the songs and to be able to adapt them away from their original meaning to that of the listeners own.
Until The Children Come Home features some seismic bass sounds so loved by Progressive rock fans and once again throws out a huge soundstage to the listener. There is some fine guitar playing throughout this song and I did find myself reaching out my left hand to an imaginary fretboard. This song refers to the loss of innocence with children growing up in a world of disastrous politics whilst watching their world change youthful play toto adult struggles. Quite startling notions.
Moving onto a song that contains some rather unashamed Roger Waters influence, Something To Say has all the hallmarks of the grandeur set out by Pink Floyd and some of their fellow giants of the Prog world. With that said, I find the more melodic and fluidity in Nick Jackson’s voice more acceptable than the tortured shouts of the aforementioned icon. The fantastic wall of sound is present right up until the final organ chords bring it to a satisfying halt.
So much has been done to stay true to the original despite all of the challenges it must have imposed. One of the only real deviations from this is the song Do You Remember which on the original 1994 album was entitled The Last November. With only slight differences lyrically and of course the title the song retains much of it’s meaning and melody of the original. The harmonica playing is credited to a gentleman referred to as harmonica Pete. This is because the name of the player was lost in the passage of time and Nick Jackson could only remember his first name. Bells and alarm clocks together with dark guitar chords and Nick Jackson’s chilling words relay the effect that time has upon the mind and the fact that somethings may be best forgotten. The middle eight of this song is absolutely massive and once again concludes with a great Hammond backed guitar break.
To Have And To Hold differs slightly to the original with the inclusion of wedding bells at the beginning melting into a smooth synth pad, though the message of rejection and failing relationships remain steadfast to the original theme. It highlights what begins so blissfully can so often end up in rivalry and bitterness.
Informing all just how far down the line we are at destroying the world in one way or another is When We All Fall Down. A very tight cohesive sound moving into a powerful chant and without doubt the most radio friendly song on the album. With a powerful gospel vibe this song builds beautifully on the original.
Bringing the album to a close is Round And Round which to me is very reminiscent of eighties Pink Floyd. No harm there I hear the cry of many. This is because the use of Vocoder and bleak powerful guitar chords at the beginning of the song, with the rousing choir of backing vocalists lending heft to the protesting nature against leaders and politicians of the lyrics so nicely conveyed by Nick Jackson and Texan country singer Jessica Clemmons. The solid, growling bass seems to lend impetus to the frustrations of modern life and being on the daily treadmill.
The pre-order launch began on 21st August 2026 along with the release of the single I Won’t Pray On Sunday and accompanying video. Pre-orders will close on Friday 2nd October with the album being officially released on 1st October 2026.
The album is a beautifully packaged double CD digipack with artwork by guitarist Andy Rowberry. For those fans not lucky enough to have obtained the original this is a fantastic opportunity to own both versions as the original 1994 version of the album forms the content of the second disc.
The 30th anniversary take on this album isn’t a re-imagining of the original as far as I am aware. It is how the album was meant to be originally. Listening to the original verion first I can confirm that I thoroughly enjoyed it in it’s original guise. I found it to be a more intimate and forthright mix and overall quite pleasing. It is only when you drop the second disc into your cd player that you appreciate the full impact of the additional musicians, backing vocalists and modern production tools and the transformation brought about by a lot of hard work.
As a debut album pieced together by a twenty year old songwriter/musician The Stranger Inside The Self was quite an achievement and has made this writer want to explore more of the bands back catalogue. Listening to the 2026 account of the same ten songs made me realise the maturity of the band’s evolution and to further polish a diamond to perfection.
I would not only recommend this new release to those seeking to complete their collection of IT albums, but to those wishing to discover the roots of the band whilst being allowed to hear just how far they have evolved by simply comparing the original and the 2026 versions of the same album side by side. Quite an accomplishment I think and an album to invest in.
To find out more about IT go to itband.tv/ | itofficial.bandcamp.com
