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Parallel Realms

by STRFKR

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited to 1500.
    First Pressing.
    Polyvinyl Exclusive.
    Deluxe Gatefold with spot gloss and die-cut printed euro sleeves.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Parallel Realms via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    edition of 1500  114 remaining
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      $34 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Deluxe Gatefold with spot gloss and die-cut printed euro sleeves.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Parallel Realms via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $32 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Digipak with plastic tray.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Parallel Realms via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Lime Green Shell with Black Ink

    Includes unlimited streaming of Parallel Realms via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $12 USD or more 

     

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    SHIRT COLOR: Black
    DESIGN COLOR: Red, Orange, Yellow, Cream, and Black
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    Light Pink, Green, and White blanket is crafted on USA looms from 100% cotton yarn.
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  • 4” die-cut sticker printed on holographic foil.
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  • BRAND: Nalgene Water Bottle (Wide Mouth, 32 oz.)
    BOTTLE/LID COLOR: Transparent Aubergine Bottle w/ Sun Lid
    DESIGN COLOR: Black

    Super durable and leak-proof.
    Easy to clean and dishwasher safe. BPA free. Made in the USA.
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1.
Must be some way to feel again Always thought I was on the right side Now that death's licking at my heels I don’t know what’s happened here with my life What should I remember oh oh oh Why should I go on like everything’s fine Hot shit in November No shadow to keep em’ feeling alive I want some way to feel again I wanna live in another time With my back up against the wall I don’t know what happened here but I’m fine What should I remember oh oh oh Why should I go on like everything’s fine Hot shit in November No shadow to keep em’ feeling alive I should’ve never fallen for it Somebody who never listened to me Why that you’re wrong when you don’t mean it Why say it you always never I need something to feel again I need another who understands What the fuck am I doing here I don’t know what’s happened here with my life What should I remember oh oh oh Why should I go on like everything’s fine Hot shit in November No shadow to keep em’ feeling alive I should’ve never fallen for it Somebody who never listened to me Why say that you’re wrong when you don’t mean it Why say it you always never
2.
Maybe we should we give it up I don’t wanna feel that burden anymore I don’t wanna feel like we’re just holding on I don’t wanna feel that burden anymore Turn around If we could get along We would work it out Feeling so alone being right If I knew what I know I know now I’d never let it let you go down I’ll get away from this lonely town Follow you Either way I’ll be gone And I’ll always be away The day when you come around Underground I’ll wait till you finally call me out
3.
interspace 2 01:03
4.
Feelings 03:29
Feelings Run and hide away From each other Feelings Rather run away From another Never could decide Seen it all my life You will say goodbye Rather run and hide
5.
You don’t need a lover Wanna see and I understand, you’re waitin’ on Under a cover Oh why would you burn it down, I gotta get out Shorty you’ve taken my heart Well you know Why couldn’t I be your friend Why you taking so long? Shorty will you take my… Shorty will you take my love I don’t wanna break your heart Shorty will you take my love Isn’t it hard enough Shorty will you take my love I don’t wanna break your heart Shorty will you take my love Isn’t it hard enough hard enough, to fall in love Isn’t it hard enough Always another Stand still cause I ain't a fan of waiting on All for each other You wanted in when I wanted out and waited so long
6.
Oh the way that you look I been waiting for you I been waiting for years Oh, the way that you move Underwater, in air In the water of tears And the more that you love And the war that it is is a battle for you I wanna know where you are When the world finally ends I’ll be waiting for you You want it all No never never on the outside Don’t everybody want it all No no one on the outside Oh the way that you move Oh the way that you look Oh the way that you are Underwater in air In the water of tears in the war that it is You want it all No never never on the outside Don’t everybody want it all No no one on the outside No one know it all I’m hanging on and high Nod on and on and now there’s nowhere left to hide And white out every button And waited for the sound Waited for my sound Waited for the
7.
Armatron 04:12 video
I don’t wanna know Don’t wanna know Don’t want to think about it I don’t wanna know Don’t want it all Another day together I knew it all along I read it all I know you want me there but I don’t really care at all Just take me home Just let me out right here now Brand new So do you So do you Wanted brand new So do you So do you I don’t wanna know Don’t wanna know Don’t want to think about it I don’t wanna know Don’t want it all Another day together I knew it all along I read it all I know you want me there but I don’t really care at all Just take me home Just let me out right here now Brand new So do you So do you Wanted brand new So do you So do you I don't want to know Know what it's like Living without you
8.
interspace 3 01:13
9.
Chizzlers 03:55
Voulez vous Comme je voulais et tes yeux ils sont hantés Y Il y a peu Je Suis tombé Comme un fleur Pour l'abeille
10.
interspace 4 00:54
11.
Running around Wasting my time Made it out so low Oh yeah Oh no I’m Running around Chasin ‘em down Better off solo Always Alone Ahhh I don’t know why Give it some time Night after night You will be fine I don’t know why Give it some time I don’t know why
12.
Carnival 03:58
Shot him in a magazine Is it your fantasy Another shade of love Oh no Oh no Shake it like a flavor queen Isn’t it clear to see A little late for us Hold on Just hold on through the night Why would I Shade up for a minute Hold on Hold on through the night Why would I Trade it for another
13.
I don't want to waste the energy or effort on a throw away I wanna float away All the way Only you, it's only you I never knew I’d find another way I wanna float away All the way You say "Nothing's forever" Oh my only lover Got a lotta nice things to say Lonely lover Stay forever Got a lotta nice things to say My only lover Oh my only lover
14.
interspace 5 01:06
15.
I waited for it All my life
16.
I’m glad you look like that You’re the only one Sometimes I swear it makes it easier for me Remember when you told me You wanna be wanna be Just a little smarter Guess you got something to prove
17.
Leaving 07:14
I don’t know why Nothing at all Digging for something but it’s never enough Figure it out Tearing it down I don’t remember what’s the point of it all What a let down What does it matter When it’s always just more of the same From the outset ain’t any better But you always get carried away Now that you know it’s already over You’re so in love with yourself You coulda loved somebody else Maybe a lifetime Maybe you’ll know, when you’re old What does it matter What do I know, do you know? What could I have done any better Radio He ever want to see the light I know I know I know I know Eyes / Radio I’m going on my own Eyes / Radio I’m going on my own So I can find another home

about

In a journey that’s been taking new directions since it started, every step of the way has led STRFKR to Parallel Realms. The band’s energetic, danceable pop has assumed many forms since they first emerged in 2007, always reliably delivering unshakeable melodies and larger-than-life anthems infused with intellectually challenging lyrics. In recent years, STRFKR explored more experimental waters when they constructed a fuzzy dream world with their home-recorded 2020 album Future Past Life or subtracted structure entirely from fully instrumental collection Ambient 1. New album Parallel Realms finds yet another path, redefining the kind of direct, high-impact songwriting that’s long been the core of the band’s strongest material. Streamlined and immediate, the album distills STRFKR’s 15 plus years of artistic growth without forfeiting any of the perspective they’ve gained along the way. It’s their clearest, most organized, and most exciting work yet.

As with many other albums, Parallel Realms started with sorting through a mountain of ideas looking for inspiration. While combing through stacks of partially-realized demos, it became clear that the most interesting songs all had a consistent playfulness to them. A through-line of upbeat fun gradually came into view, with a joyous vibe that sometimes bordered on ‘80s synth pop euphoria. STRFKR followed this impulse further, digging back through their archives to seek out songs that hadn’t made sense until now, but matched the specific uplifting feeling that was becoming the connective tissue for the new album.

Subconscious lyrical patterns started arising, as well, repeatedly circling back to the idea of how different people can experience the same thing from wildly different emotional vantage points. This kind of parallel intake served as the inspiration for many of the songs, and ultimately the title of the album. Songs gelled around this concept quickly. Relentlessly hooky, “Together Forever” uses its rubbery bass line and melodic instrumentation to express different sides of the frustration and satisfaction of love. “Holding On” ping-pongs through tormented indecision about keeping a relationship alive or letting it go with a dreamy instrumental that sounds like sunbeams tearing apart the sky. Dark-yet-bubbly single “Armatron” evolves from tension to tenderness, mirroring a heated lover’s argument that settles into softness when tempers cool. This is reflected in how the song’s sassiness transitions into a more introspective feel in its second half, and is one of many moments on the album that STRFKR arrived at through heightened collaboration, not just between the band members, but with valuable input from network of trusted friends and advisors. For a band used to getting into the weeds with their highly controlled writing process, everything fell into place almost a little too effortlessly. At some point, though, they made a conscious decision to step out of their own way, not overcomplicate things, and just let the album come together around this new, singular energy.

This approach continued into the album’s recording phase. The band returned to the stripped-down mindset they’d used when making Future Past Life, but instead of that record’s psychedelic blurriness, they applied uncluttered, no-nonsense arrangements to electro-pop bangers. The abrupt gear-shifting and experimental detours of previous albums are reshaped into concise, song-serving flashes. Minute-long ambient interludes provide palate cleansers between immediately catchy floor-filling dance tracks, and neither overstay their welcome. What really rocketed the album past the finish line was handing over mixing duties to Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead). This marked the most hands-off STRFKR has ever been with the final step of any of their records, relinquishing control and just letting Coady work his magic. This followed Parallel Realms’ tendency toward collective creation, and Coady’s mixing rivaled anything the band had achieved before. The rhythm sections are huge, the hooks are crystalline, and the entire album gels into a cohesive, dynamic whole. Gone are any hints of “indie” caliber production; these songs sound enormous, with a level of glitter that contends with modern commercial radio hits.

More than anything STRFKR has made before, Parallel Realms carries a triumphant sense of renewal. Though never implicitly stated, the elevated sound, straightforward songwriting, and especially unclouded vision of the album all convey the feeling of breaking through to new possibilities. Somehow, this many years into an ever-changing evolution, STRFKR has made some of their most accessible music yet while still furthering the introspective thinking and self-imposed challenges that have always pushed their art forward. Parallel Realms courses with positivity even in its heaviest moments. It sounds incredible, it encapsulates untold hours of multiple lives committed to making beauty out of song, and above anything else, it feels wonderful.

credits

released March 1, 2024

Written by STRFKR

Produced by STRFKR and Jeff Brodsky

Mixed by Chris Coady

Mastered by Mike Bozzi

Artwork by Edward Carvalho-Monaghan

Layout by Ryan Miller

Lyrics on “Chizzlers” by Charlie Hilton

With additional production on “Holding On” and “Together Forever” by Tim Edgar

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STRFKR Portland, Oregon

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