shrouded strangers

“Even “(Don’t Look At The) Pink Lightning” with its light psychedelic folk-pop intro delves off into the experimental realm. This builds into an anthemic sing-a-long with swirling guitar feedback before dropping into a near a capella conclusion. It’s downright brilliant!

The same holds true for the insanely poppy “How The Dead Butter Their Bread”. And what makes it even better: the entire album is like this. It jumps around with almost manic-like fervor, yet maintains a shocking consistency….” - FensePost

Their strongest sense of folk, ambient, psychedalia, punk, and pop are all molded together here into one monstrous sound. While Lost Forever can sometimes be difficult to digest, it’s still an immensely worthwhile listen. ..." - PopMatters

Returning to recording after numerous years away from studio work, the Shrouded Strangers' 2012 album was enjoyable if not deathless work, a variant on indie rock that showed little sign of slowing down.

"Late Bloomer" starts the album on an easygoing but gently propulsive note, acoustic strum, piercing tremolo guitar, a steady drum stomp, and -- perhaps bemusingly -- rather distant, raspy vocals.

"Featherbed" shifts to gently fuzzed-out shoegaze boogie in comparison, though, enjoyable if not really remarkable aside from a nicely scraggly solo, and from there the slight off-on feeling of Lost Forever makes its way forward, a mix of the precise and the slightly unstable. (Calling a song "How the Dead Butter Their Bread" could almost be asking for it, given the song's generally peppy whimsy in its first half -- though hearing it collapse away into an open-ended feedback wooze is another beast.

Then there's "Black Tie White Atlas Shrugged," which might or might not be the only Ayn Rand/David Bowie referencing song if not necessarily tribute out there.) Sometimes the mix of extremes is within the same song: "(Don't Look at The) Pink Lightning" starts like a breezy enough acoustic-led singalong before twisting into a bright, exultant combination of drones and a much slower pace.

The instrumental "Pyramid Points" does a good job at summing up the slightly blasted/slightly dreamy musical aesthetic of the band in two minutes, soft gaze-focused guitars shifting into a chiming melody. "Oilheart"'s glammish chug has high vocals even for this album, a kind of piercing cry, while the rougher stomp of "Drinking the Spider Silk" can and does turn on a dime into a slower sweet swoon at the end. - AllMusic

“Shrouded Strangers is a garage-pop band that stays true to the tropes and sounds of a band labeled garage-pop, while also incorporating deliriously psychedelic elements.

Nominally, the band draws influences from the more experimental side of the Beatles, among other British invasion acts. When they get weird, there’s always an undercurrent of pop that keeps the lunacy grounded. - Weekly Volcano

“…haunting fuzzed out guitars – part Duane Eddy, Link Wray and some surf music meets the Gun Club with the drummer working overtime – you’ll love these guys the first time. A more modern comparison is maybe, Japanese Motors from a few years ago, who themselves were channeling some ’60s garage bands. Anyway, this is my new favorite band and will definitely end up on the year end list. - Rock n' Roll Call

Shrouded Strangers have just leapt to the top of our New Discoveries Most Anticipated List (if we actually had one that is), but no matter, this is the video to skuzzy slacker anthem Featherbed, a glorious amalgam of surf guitars, krautrock rhythms and fuzzed up hillbilly stomp. Just brilliant.” - Mad Mackerel

Yeah, the track has a thick coat of atmospheric wash atop it, but beneath it all is brewing this incredible sunny pop element, perhaps influenced by the band’s move to the West Coast.

This is definitely the sort of track where you can just drop out and play it over and over again." - Austin Town Hall

I now take great pleasure in sharing the best psych-rock album I’ve heard this year, 'Lost Forever.' As an entirety, Lost Forever is absorbing and hypnotic – it works as a full album experience.” - Gotbackbeat