COMING OF AGE

Photographs by Rick Perez

Los Angeles lucid dream pop trio The Strayngers just released their debut album, “I Don’t Know, Episode 1”. The band reflects on this album’s journey and discuss the time they felt lost, how they became focused, and being inspired by the people around them.

Los Angeles, USA

Who are The Strayngers and what is your music about?

The Strayngers are diverse group of music lovers who have come together in the pursuit of creating something greater than our individual selves. We aren’t trying to chase any trends, we just appreciate great music no matter what it is. Our music can be playfully referred to as “Lucid Dream Pop.” They tend to have a groovy and grounded rhythm section with ethereal and dreamy harmonies and overtones. The topics have a somewhat wide range, but whatever they are about, I try to use wordplay and give them a poetic twist as much as possible. We really just want the songs to be enjoyable and fun.

What does each member's unique qualities bring to the project?

What I love about us is that we have complimentary skills and personalities. We fill in each others’ gaps and I think the result is something pretty special. Sergio is a master of tone and feel with a wealth of technical knowledge that I am severely lacking in! Jesse is a renaissance man who, among his many skills, helps us make meaningful connections, keeps us up to date with current events, and has a pure devotion to the art of bass (something much more valuable than you might initially realize...)

You have just released your debut album, 𝐈 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏. What kind of journey are you taking us on?

Jesse put it really well when he said this release deals with coming of age and the navigation of technological intimacy during an uncertain period of rapid change.

How has this album shown your growth as a band since you first started, one year ago?

Oh man...so much growth! As our bond as strengthened, so has our collective decision making and in turn, the music in general. We are more and more developing a sharp focus on creating in a way that’s best for our voice.

What were some struggles in making 𝐈 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏? What were some fun, memorable moments?

After our drummer had to leave, we had some big decisions to make, and I think I could honestly say we were a bit lost. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the valley of options before us, but feeling so distant from them. What to do? How to properly move on from here? Well, before we knew it, Jesse’s mate from another band and now a great friend of ours came through with a fantastic drumming offer we couldn’t refuse, and just like that we were back on track—our hopes and dreams for these tracks were fully restored. As many fun moments as we had along the way, getting to finally hear these tunes at the highest level of their potential, thanks in large part to Adam Ponce the wickedly talented drummer, was about as fun and joyous as it gets!

What's next for The Strayngers?

Jesse has plans to run for president, and we are going to use that platform to propel ourselves toward supreme world domination.

But if that doesn’t quite work out, we are going to continue what we’ve been doing—growing our following one genuine fan at a time. We really believe in ourselves and what we are capable of, and we are in this for the long run. We have met some unbelievably awesome and inspiring people and artists (including yourself Rick!) in our short journey so far, and we can’t wait to keep doing that more and more.