Artist recommendation
A Thousand Mad Things — Cry & Dance
Sounds as though it has fallen straight out of the 1980s, only to land about 40 years too late. 😌
The debut EP Cry & Dance was released in 2025.
A Thousand Mad Things is the project of British musician and producer William Barradale, now based in London. His sound breathes pure new-wave melancholy: big emotions, dramatic synths, both melancholy and sad. Cry & Dance, indeed.
Barradale, who is Gen Z, openly draws on heroes such as Billy Mackenzie of The Associates, Soft Cell, Bronski Beat and Depeche Mode, while making something of his own. His lyrics tell of queer youth in the English suburbs: personal, vulnerable, but always with drive.
The fact that he has already supported The Human League fits the picture perfectly.
What stays with me
Big emotions and synthesizers
My recommendation this week is the EP Cry & Dance, with pieces such as Wide Awake and She’s on the Run. If you love 1980s synthpop, make sure you listen.
Artist recommendation
How this music sounds
- Genres
- Synthpop · New Wave
- Listening moods
- Emotion & goosebumps · Rhythm & energy
- Sound & instrumentation
- Dramatic synthesizers · 1980s influences
- Language
- English
Artist recommendation
Explore further
The tension between Cry and Dance is exactly what makes me curious here. Listen for yourself and see which side of A Thousand Mad Things catches you first.
A Thousand Mad Things · Official artist website
A Thousand Mad Things on Instagram · Official account
Listen to Wide Awake on Spotify
External links open in a new tab.
Vinyl for your collection
With A Thousand Mad Things, it is worth looking at the different releases too. A vinyl edition is not currently reliably confirmed, so there are no record purchase links here yet.
Releases so far
Archive (2026): listed on Discogs as a limited, numbered USB drive containing WAV files, rather than a record.
Hate It (2026): five pieces, released digitally; listed by the artist as an EP.
Cry and Dance (2025): An EP with five pieces, released digitally.
No checked vinyl purchase offer is currently listed for live albums.
Klanggeschichten is my hobby. I receive no commission, use no affiliate links and earn nothing from these recommendations. The links are simply there to make your search easier. Offers checked on 11 October 2026; availability and delivery times may change. External links open in a new tab.
Research checked: 12 October 2026 · Across formats
| Empty Part of Me (PVA Remix) | Single | |
| Remorse (Working Men’s Club Remix) | Single | |
| Hate It | EP | |
| Empty Part of Me | Single | |
| Remorse | Single | |
| Promises | Single | |
| Wide Awake (Half Asleep) | Single | |
| She’s on the Run (She Bleeds) | Single | |
| Cry and DanceIn the artist portrait → | EP | |
| She’s on the RunIn the artist portrait → | Single | |
| Local Guys | Single | |
| Girl | Single | |
| Wide AwakeIn the artist portrait → | Single |
13 researched releases
Complete list without filters (13 releases)
| Title | Type | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Empty Part of Me (PVA Remix) | Single | |
| Remorse (Working Men’s Club Remix) | Single | |
| Hate It | EP | |
| Empty Part of Me | Single | |
| Remorse | Single | |
| Promises | Single | |
| Wide Awake (Half Asleep) | Single | |
| She’s on the Run (She Bleeds) | Single | |
| Cry and DanceIn the artist portrait → | EP | |
| She’s on the RunIn the artist portrait → | Single | |
| Local Guys | Single | |
| Girl | Single | |
| Wide AwakeIn the artist portrait → | Single |
Umfang, Datumsangaben und Recherchequellen
Researched standalone releases under A Thousand Mad Things up to 12 October 2026: EPs and singles, including separately released alternative versions and remix singles. Individual EP tracks without a documented single release, videos and duplicate reissues are excluded. No promise of completeness.
Where the exact day is uncertain, only the documented year is given. The order within that year is not accurate to the day.
Cry and Dance is also called Cry & Dance in the text and is an EP, rather than a studio album. The ARCHIVE USB is mentioned on the artist’s link page; without a reliably confirmed release date, it is not counted here as an additional original release.
Official artist link page
Official Bandcamp catalogue
Apple Music artist catalogue
Spotify artist catalogue
- Empty Part of Me (PVA Remix) · 2026
- Remorse (Working Men’s Club Remix) · 2026
- Hate It · 2026
- Empty Part of Me · 2026
- Remorse · 2026
- Promises · 2026
- Wide Awake (Half Asleep) · 2025
- She’s on the Run (She Bleeds) · 2025
- Cry and Dance · 2025
- She’s on the Run · 2025
- Local Guys · 2025
- Girl · 2025
- Wide Awake · 2025
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Want to explore further? Discogs also offers discographies and may include additional releases, international editions and different pressings that are not covered in our list.
This discography was researched to the best of my knowledge. It may be incomplete or contain individual errors. Suggestions and additions are welcome.