Crafting dreamy, synth-based pop songs is not the traditional route for formally-trained pianists, but it's worked out just fine for Anthony Ferraro, the Oakland-based musician behind Astronauts, etc. His first singles, released online in 2012 and led by his distinctive falsetto, were full of hooks that hid just below the surface, under layers of murky keyboards and skittering drum machines.
Now comes the song "Up For Grabs," on which Ferraro swirls radiant synthesizers with an elegant, catchy guitar hook.
While Ferraro makes no move to abandon his disarming falsetto or his love of synthesizers, the haze that permeated his earlier recordings has burned off like Bay Area fog, revealing stronger melodies and confident vocals underneath.
"Up For Grabs" is from Astronaut, etc.'s upcoming second EP, Sadie, due out Sept. 23.
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