Better Strangers, the Miami-based band with Nic Collins on drums, have undergone a revamp and shifted in a more progressive direction.
The band have parted ways with former singer deCasa (better known as Luis Santiago), leaving a trio of Collins, guitarist Joey Rodriguez and bassist Yang Waingarten. Their new four-track EP, Live At Gramps, sees the band moving very much in an instrumental prog direction, and includes contributions from David Bottrill (Tool, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel).
"Having released music under different band names with different singers, while playing all around the world despite an inconsistent lineup, Better Strangers decided to lean into denser, more complex instrumental compositions that wouldn’t rely on vocal hooks," the trio say.
"With a total 10 years of musical chemistry — the latter two spent on complete reinvention instead of live performance — Better Strangers returns to fill the void they left in 2023, all while carving out a completely new artistic niche for itself."
The band have also released a video of them performing live at the fabled Miami venue (sadly soon to be closing), in which they perform all four tracks from the new EP, plus two additional songs, Ashes and Drinking The Tool-Aid.
Better Strangers will play three local Florida shows in November, kicking off next Thursday, November 6 at Signal in Gainesville, FL, a performance at Gramps in Miami, FL on Friday, November 7 and New World Music Hall on Sunday, November 9, in Tampa, FL.
Tickets are available from the band's website. Listen to Live At Gramps here.
