Since forming in 2007, STRFKR have been perfecting a style that hides emotional complexities and existential searching in hyper-catchy, melody-forward pop music. The band’s spiritual and philosophical undercurrents never outshine their highly danceable sounds, but both are integral parts of what they do. Over the years and through the course of a discography that includes not just multiple studio albums but a wealth of fan-focused auxiliary releases, STRFKR’s combination of thoughtful lyricism and party starting hooks have made them a consistent success with critical music listeners and show-goers. They’ve played festivals like Coachella and Outside Lands, wowed audiences on impressive stages the size of Red Rocks, toured through Asia, Europe and Mexico and stacked up hundreds of millions in streaming numbers, all while continuing to grow as artists.
STRFKR was started as a solo project by Joshua Hodges but quickly grew into a fully realized band with Keil Corcoran, Shawn Glassford, and Arian Jalali. Beginning with the mission of creating engaging, thought-provoking songs that people could dance to, the band released one full length and one EP before signing on with Polyvinyl in 2010. At that point they’d already made a name for themselves with worldwide touring, but momentum really picked up from there. The band grew commercially and creatively with every new album, with 2011’s Reptilians, 2013’s Miracle Mile, and 2016’s Being No One, Going Nowhere all performing strongly enough to crack various Billboard charts, while multiple STRFKR songs were used in highly visible film, television, and streaming productions. The band started out in a time when a co-sign from blogs and music outlets of note were all but mandatory for new music to be heard and accepted. STRFKR bypassed the hype machine almost completely, focusing instead on making their shows more exciting and pushing their music to new places. In addition to a live album and several remix collections, the band’s extensive Vault Series has offered fans three volumes worth of unreleased demos and outtakes from every point in their evolution. Instead of making the same record over and over again, they embraced experimentalism and gentler textures in 2020 on fifth album Future Past Life, and switched gears completely the same year on Ambient 1, an entirely instrumental album of meditative and healing electronic synthesis.
With a diverse catalog that reaches back almost 15 years, STRFKR’s live show is still where a good amount of the magic happens, as each of their albums has no shortage of crowd favorites and verifiable hits. The band’s work ethic both in the studio and on the road has kept them on a steady climb, consistently playing venues on the level of legendary rooms like Terminal 5, Stubbs’, and the 9:30 Club while using any available downtime to work towards the next recording. An announcement of new tour dates or new music is never too far off on the horizon, as STRFKR continues taking new forms.
