As Goodbye Stranger themselves say on their Soundcloud profile:

Our music is guitar-rich synthpop, inspired the shoegaze sounds of the 80s. We take inspiration from the likes of New Order and Joy Division, to create what we feel is an interesting blend of styles.

The synthpop sounds and indie-dance of previous release Cave are less evident on Why Reduce Yourself; a dreamy jangly guitar sound and solid bass takes their place. There’s something hypnotic in the repeated lyric (“Why reduce yourself like that?”) and as the bass walks you through to the safe haven of the outro, all is calm, all is well.