Stezrat has released his official debut single, ‘Gecho Beach’. The song gets its name from Echo Beach in Canggu, Bali. To avoid confusion with the Martha and the Muffins song of the same name, Stezrat’s Stephen Engstrom evolved the source inspiration into a fantastical destination.
‘Gecho Beach’ follows the soft release of Stezrat’s first single, ‘Gorge on You’, in December 2022, which was good enough to land the Sydney artist a gig supporting The Babe Rainbow at the Factory Theatre in mid-January.
Stezrat – ‘Gecho Beach’
Engstrom conceived the Stezrat project after enduring what he calls a “gut health apocalypse.” As a result, he became wellness obsessed. “I essentially eat like a monk, and have an insatiable penchant for beaches, holidays and natural highs,” he says.
And while this sounds “disgustingly cliched,” that’s where the humour is for Engstrom. “It pervades every song,” he says.
‘Gecho Beach’ takes influence from across the genre spectrum. Engstrom looked to The Internet for guidance on the extraterrestrial synth sounds, which are surrounded by “perky down beats” a la Little Dragon, and a touch of Jim Morrison in Stezrat’s crooning vocal performance.
An EP is set to follow in April 2023, which will further display Stezrat’s no-frills, independent approach to production. “Practically speaking, it’s all about a minimalist approach,” he says. “Just a laptop, mic and headphones.
“I’m loving the autonomy of self-producing and mixing, it feels closer to that of a sculptor or painter, where you go at it from start to finish.”
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