The Shakes just released their last single of the year “Talking to Strangers”—completing the From the Bedroom series. The band has been on the rise since their first releases in 2017, with new singles on rotation at KROQ’s Locals Only and playing shows across Southern California, including this year’s Echo Park Rising.
The song begins with a dreamy guitar riff before singer and frontman Sean Perry’s vocals enter the mix, adding another layer before the full band kicks in with an oversaturated guitar riff. The whole song embraces a strong feeling of nostalgia, like it belongs in a coming-of-age movie soundtrack. When it comes on in the car, it’s one of those songs that makes you want to gaze out the window wistfully, pretending you’re in the middle of that film yourself.
“Talking to Strangers” is one of the most personal songs that singer and songwriter Sean Perry has written. “I bring up certain anxieties I deal with on a daily basis, especially being in large crowds. I hate it,” he said, “My hearing is bad enough already, and when people try to converse with me while there’s loud music [and] people talking in the background I tend to turn a bit awkward.”
The track, along with the three previous singles of the From the Bedroom series, was recorded, produced, and mixed in the band’s living room—with mixing by the band’s synth player and pianist Syd Tagle.
The Shakes are a truly special band. It’s the way they effortlessly combine ethereal synth elements with electric guitar and punchy rhythms, all topped off with velvety vocals and lyricism that encapsulates exactly what it feels like to be young and navigating “real life.” They always know how to capture how you’re feeling and wrap it up into the perfect 2 minutes and 41 seconds, as seen in “Talking to Strangers.” Their music seems polished but the emotion behind each word is raw and real.
Listen here:
