Einar Stray

"Pretty much every track I've heard from him makes me think 'Damn, why has it taken me this long to find him'. Seriously. He's that good." – The 405

"It is an art to create music that seem to drift around unhindered, floating on piano and strings, all the time sharply controlled. Einar Stray has done it." – TV2

"Einar Stray delights, surprises, fascinates and captivates" – Aftenposten

Music writers are a special group of people. Their love for and knowledge of music is certain, but the sheer amount they are exposed to makes it a very rare thing for them to be completely blown away by a song. With the music of 20 year old Norwegian Einar Stray, however, this is more often the case than it's not, as music writers from all over have cast their inhibitions aside and written straight up tributes to his music. When listening to Chiaroscuro, the brand new debut album of this young prodigy, one can do little less than join in the ranks of those who praise this remarkable piece of music.

Stray's compositions are truly advanced, and tracks some times go on for up to eight minutes without the listener ever feeling the slightest bit of boredom or inattentiveness. The music just sucks you in. Stray's simple piano chords and deep voice are the centrepieces of these incredible compositions that are steadily getting a growing audience not only in Norway, but also all over the world. Driven forward by strings, drums and bass, and sprinkled with horns, synthesizers, samples, guitars and kazoos, these arrangements are never over the top, just perfectly planned and executed. Isn't it amazing when some one really risks everything and sets their artistic target incredibly high, only to reach it brilliantly?

Some have described Chiaroscuro as "essentially a post rock album", while it is not hard to hear the catchy pop melodies and the classicist orchestration of strings and horns. Stray has been likened to such artists as Sigur Ros, Sufjan Stevens and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but there is little doubt that he is most like himself, and that no one is quite like him. After preparing his music for many years, Stray is now ready to release it upon the world through this magnificent debut album that is sure to make it's mark on those who lend their ears to it.

""At the tender age of twenty, Einar Stray has produced an outstanding piece of art, it fits right up there with any of the canonical post rock albums.(...) If he's putting out stuff so brilliant now, its hard to imagine how mind blowing his music will be ten years from now." – Colin Joyce, The 405 (9/10 points for "Chiaroscuro")

Einar Stray also appear in Moddi.

Management:
Simen Herning / Spoon Train - simen@spoontrain.no
Booking:
Sybille Koller / Ink Music - sybille.koller@inkmusic.de
Label GSA:
Peter Gruse / Sinnbus Rec - peter@sinnbus.de