De Staat

Photo by Alexander Popelier

In a lot of ways, today’s episode feels like I’m returning to my roots. I got my start in music through music journalism, writing about artists and their albums for blogs, newspapers, and magazines. The thrill I got from it, was being able to recommend music that I really enjoyed, knowing that you’d most likely be unfamiliar with it. I have a feeling that’ll be the case with you and today’s guests, Dutch rock band De Staat. Though, calling these guys a “rock band” doesn’t do enough justice in expressing just how unique they are. De Staat are a bonkers fucking band, in the best way. They utilize absurdity, both in their lyrics and instrumentation, that also seamlessly pivots from brash textures to melodic respites at a moment’s notice.

Since 2009 they’ve released 5 albums, produced groundbreaking music videos, have played a slew of major music festivals, and toured extensively with acts like Muse, The Rolling Stones, and holy fuck….what do you do next? Well interestingly enough, the band asked themselves that exact question during the pandemic, and the eventual answer was to both record and release music in a different way. Their latest project is called Red, Yellow, Blue; which features the band releasing 3 new songs at one go, with each song exploring a different side of the De Staat’s diverse sonic palette.

On this episode, I chatted with expressive De Staat frontman, Torre Florim, both about the distinctive history of the band and the exciting future that awaits them.

You can catch De Staat live during their extensive European tour that will be kicking off on May 13th in Belgium. You’ll find more information and full tour dates here.

Also, after you hear the episode, be sure to check out De Staat’s track One Day on the official New Exchange Playlist. Also, follow De Staat on Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.