Casual Strangers
Casual Strangers are something of an enigma, after self-releasing their debut record in 2014, the band morphed into a new direction, composing live instrumental sound panoramas and minimal ambient experiments for the wandering mind. The new album, Pink Panther, showcases the use of synthesized textures to create back-to-nature moods where vintage electronics are counterbalanced by lap steel and acoustic guitar. The album moves from full-on psychedelic instrumental rock to relaxed experimental ambient minimalism. Casual Strangers has played festivals such as SXSW (Austin), UMS (Denver) & Northside (Brooklyn) in addition to being named Top 10 Coed Bands of 2014 by the Austin Chronicle and Top 10 New Bands of 2014 from the Austin Music Awards.
“It’s incredibly brave for a band still establishing themselves to make a statement such as this on only their second album. The fact that Casual Strangers have pulled it off effortlessly, creating something which stands on its own as more than the sum of its influences, is testament to what a fantastic bunch of musicians they are.” Soundblab
“(Pink Panther) sounds like the bounding echoes of The Man Who Fell to Earth, a missing piece of the film’s soundtrack.” Monolith Cocktail
“We gave ourselves space,” proclaims Paul Waclawsky, tracing Casual Strangers’ palpable evolution from experimental rockers to ambient instrumentalists. “Space from each other, from a recording studio, from the instruments we normally play in our live show.” The Strangers’ second movement, a rose-colored cassette called Pink Panther, forgoes the skin-melting psychedelia and cheeky art-rock lyrics of the quartet’s eponymous 2014 debut in favor of meandering synth compositions and uncharted atmospheric jams.” Austin Chronicle