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Mar 31, 2023 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Daniel Topete

LA-based rocker Grady Strange debuted in 2021 with his album, Getting Stranger, crafting catchy and well-written pop rock infused with a off-beat DIY touch. Since then, Strange shared a new single last year, “Avoid The Voice,” followed by his latest track, “Head (Am I Out of My?).” Those two tracks were the first tastes of his newly announced sophomore effort, See You Later, Separator, due out on June 23rd.

See You Later, Separator holds onto a lot of the foundations of Strange’s debut, including his high-energy performances, playful and canny lyrics, and distinct lo-fi edge. The record was also once again recorded on Strange’s 4-track tape machine, keeping that same fuzzy shambolic charm that ran through his debut. However, this time around Strange also brought his fiancé and bandmate Mackenzie Howe and drummer, Mark Morones, into the mix, allowing them to bring their own touches to the songwriting and push him in new directions.

Today, accompanying the announcement, Strange is also sharing his latest new track, “Flowers Surround You,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Flowers Surround You” once again finds Strange pumping up the energy, this time delivering a blisteringly short dose of garage pop sunshine. The track is filled with rollicking guitars and sharp hooks, driven by Strange’s excellent ear for pop songwriting and live-wire performances. Yet, the track also packs a lot of charming lyricism into its short runtime as well, with Strange imparting some easygoing wisdom on the listener: “Why waste your time / Worrying about the time / When the light is around you / In the back of your mind / Through a door you will find / That the flowers surround you.”

Speaking on the origins of the song, Strange said, “I recorded this song at home to my 4 track tape machine (which was previously owned by Hilly Kristal founder and owner of CBGB, I acquired it from his daughter at a garage sale for $20, just a fun fact) and finished the song at my friend Daniel McNeill’s house with Mark Morones on drums and Mackenzie Howe on backup vocals. The idea for this song came to me after getting a repeated vision during meditations. I kept seeing the guy who wrote Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda, leading me through my elementary school and opening the door to the library. Behind the door there was a drop off and then rolling hills of flowers as far as I could see (which is depicted on the album art). I got the feeling that he was showing me what human existence could look like if we someday reached a higher level of consciousness. I wrote the song about living through daily struggles and emotions while knowing there’s something deeper going on that we can quite reach yet.”

Strange says of the video, “I initially just wanted some cool live shots of us playing up on a mountain overlooking all the busy people going about their daily lives. Mackenzie then had the idea that we add in a How To With John Wilson-inspired element, and film random people stressing out to coincide with the lyrics. We then decided we would dress up in matching oversized suits and act as some sort of ‘agents of enlightenment’, watching the world from afar and yelling some supposed truth down at the distracted human race.”

Check out the song and video below. See You Later, Separator is out everywhere on June 23rd.