strangers. is an online collective consisting of 27 members around the globe. Originally known as the “locked in community project,” the group was formed in response to ericdoa’s own Locked In project, with a goal of competing against Eric by making a full album in two weeks.

After Eric did not complete his album within the originally proposed timeframe, the founding group of 16 members decided to move away from the Locked In concept and rebrand as strangers. What could’ve been Locked In (Community Version), ended up evolving into THE FIRST GATHERING, coming out four months after Eric’s stream.

The name comes from the fact that the members had not known each other before the project, making them strangers to one another.