Philly\u2019s psych-rock duo Kewl Haze (not the strain\u2014though just as potent) are turning the haze up to 11. Their full-length debut,\u00a0\u2018Suburban Sherpa,\u2019 promises a four-year labor of love that\u2019s equal parts danceable, dreamy, and deliriously fun\u2014a perfect antidote for the woes of adulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019d have a couple of beers before studio sessions and just talk about life<\/em>,\u201d says Dan Scott Forreal. Derek Sheehan adds, \u201cA lot of life happened while making the record, some hectic and difficult, but we laughed our asses off. We kept a lighthearted lens on everything we wrote.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The pair\u2014multi-instrumentalists, producers, songwriters, and mix-engineers\u2014crafted\u00a0\u2018Suburban Sherpa\u2019\u00a0in a mix of home and professional studios. The result: 11 tracks of genre-bending psych-rock, full of miasmic grooves, shimmering synths, and euphoric energy that\u2019ll appeal to fans of modern psych-pop and shoegaze alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The album\u2019s earlier single, Used to Have It All<\/em>, captures that signature Kewl Haze magic. Written after a cross-country trip, it transformed from its playful working title,\u00a0\u201cAriel Pink Storms the Capitol,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0into a Tame Impala\u2013meets\u2013MGMT\u2013meets\u2013Flaming Lips spectacle\u2014think slap bass, punchy drums, and dreamy analog synths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, the spotlight shifts to the new single,\u00a0Stereo Junkie<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a sugar rush of classic rock riffs, danceable beats, soaring harmonies, fuzzed-out guitars, and breathy vocals\u2014a track that feels ripped straight from Manchester\u2019s Hacienda in the late \u201980s, updated for today\u2019s beat-obsessed crowd. Conceptually, it\u2019s Kewl Haze serving up their music as a potent drug for diehard rock fans\u2014but beneath the fun, it\u2019s grounded in hard-won lessons from witnessing friends and family wrestle with overindulgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n