STRFKR - “Under Water / In Air”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…of Montreal, Portgual. The Man, The Weeknd

Thirteen years ago, STRFKR had their last trip through SXSW, since dropping the vowels and the letter “c” from their name for obvious reasons and growing into a crisp yet dreamy, new-wave rock band. Half synth pop and half guitar-led indie rock, STRFKR’s embrace of their smooth/weird juxtaposition makes the band’s pop instincts kick into another gear. The Portland-based band is readying their seventh record Parallel Realms, already previewed by a set of modern psych-rock songs that open the band up more to new-wave influences than than records that came before. Influences aside, STRFKR’s music is funky and fun, strongly played without being too self-serious. It’s the signs of a band leveraging their experience to do things well and still their own way. (Kevin McStravick)