Disco Stranger go hard on soft rock with debut EP

Last Updated on October 25, 2022, 8:28 PM | Published: October 25, 2022

It’s almost hard for the kids to believe now, but there was a time before the “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack dominated charts, before Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” popped up in every movie and every karaoke bar, and before “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac became an unexpected superhit on Tik Tok.

There was a time when “soft rock” was the most uncool thing in the world.

That generally inoffensive, slickly produced, effortlessly catchy evolution of 70s rock, sanding down the rough edges to create something airy and whimsical and unabashedly sentimental, became the lightning rod of hate for every angsty punk and grunge rocker in the 80s and 90s, but never went completely away.

Now, much to the surprise of boomers everywhere that were bullied for their love of Styx, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon just a few decades ago, it’s not only okay to like soft rock, it’s actually become (kind of) cool.

And OKC’s Disco Stranger are looking to prove exactly why with their own earnest, heartfelt take on the style throughout their self-titled debut EP.

Obviously, it’s not all exactly 70s-style soft rock. It’s definitely filtered through modern indie rock and chillwave. There’s a greater sense of negative space and plenty of near-psychedelic guitar texturing, but the star of the show is always the band’s light touch. 

The drums don’t pummel, they roll. The guitars don’t soar or screech, they glide. Even when kicking into a chorus, they’re much less likely to stomp on a distortion or fuzz to gain size and power than they are to just strum a bit more and move the beat from the hi-hat to the ride.

It’s gentle music. It’s not trying to knock you over or hit you in the gut. It’s trying to swirl around your head and seep inside where it can unlock the memories of the childhood car trips and late-night infomercials that planted these soft rock seeds in all of our brains.

Disco Stranger aren’t just trying to feed on nostalgia, though. 

This all feels perfectly genuine, never forced, never winking. Sure, they might drop Three Dog Night references, and sure, singer Drew Stogsdill’s voice might sound immediately at home singing about Brandy being a fine girl, but it doesn’t ever feel like they’re doing any of it just to capitalize. These songs take themselves seriously, and the band is so clearly making music that they believe in for real.

That’s not surprising given that Disco Stranger began its life as a cover act, regularly dropping renditions of all the bands that you can hear inspiring them throughout this EP. Even the name Disco Stranger is admittedly a thinly disguised Eagles reference, a band they frequently covered in their earlier days.

The truth is that the songwriting on display in those classic tracks by the legends of soft rock or dad rock or yacht rock or whatever you want to call it is airtight. The chord progressions, key changes, subtle jazz influences, and hidden complexities are undeniable once you start digging into the style. There’s a reason that soft rock morphed into “adult contemporary.” It’s grown-up music. It’s mature. Like or not, it just is.

Once a band has spent their time learning those classics and getting their heads and hands around them, it’s going to be hard to not dive headfirst into that kind of songwriting maturity when they start tackling their own originals.

Actually, “mature” is a decidedly apt descriptor for this EP. Everything from the stylistic confidence to the wholly unashamed sentimentality to honestly some of the best, cleanest production I’ve ever heard on a local release all sound wise beyond their years. It’s a bit shocking to hear any of this from a debut release.

If you want to hear an expertly tight band propping one another up beautifully and combining washy textures and razor-sharp melodies beneath a soulful, midrange croon, then you need to jump on Disco Stranger’s yacht and let the summer breeze carry you away.

And if you still just can’t stomach soft rock, well then maybe now you’re the uncool one for a change.

Disco Stranger’s self-titled debut EP is available now on streaming services.

Follow the band online at facebook.com/discostrangerband and Instagram at @discostranger.

And … This!

If you prefer your Halloween horror with some sharp teeth and enough moody atmosphere to engulf a small town, then Rodeo Cinema in the Stockyards is your afternoon destination on Sunday, October 30th when they present a double feature of two of the greatest vampire films ever made.

First up is F.W. Murnau’s groundbreaking and infinitely influential “Nosferatu,” the film that arguably created the entire dark visual language of horror filmmaking itself, and one of the first films to spotlight the macabre possibilities of movie makeup. As a bonus, local musical mainstay Christian Pearson will be on hand to provide live organ accompaniment.

Next is Francis Ford Coppola’s often tragically overlooked and perhaps misunderstood “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” a flat-out masterpiece of mysterious filmmaking technique and production design featuring one of the most deliciously unhinged and iconic performances from the inimitable Gary Oldman.

The frights kick off at 2 p.m. on October 30th, providing a perfect bridge between the Halloween weekend parties of Saturday night, and Monday’s holiday proper.

For tickets and more info, visit rodeocinema.org.

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