Orange County natives The Steens – a brothers-led duo comprised of Elijah and Isaiah “Zay” Steen — have just dropped their debut single ”What a Way to Die,” a fuzzy, no holds barred frantic tarantella of garage rock that electrifies the listener and shows off the band’s raw talent.
”What a Way to Die” is distorted, crunchy and has stretched out vocals that intertwine with razor-sharp guitars. Embossed with a lo-fi sound, the sizzling single is rambunctious and drenched with a unique energy and finesse.
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Along with their debut single, The Steens will deliver their debut EP sometime this summer. The band worked with producer Justin Raisen (Viagra Boys, Overcoats, Nasty Cherry, Charli XCX, Yves Tumor and Kim Gordon) on their debut work.
The Steens formed their band in 2021. With their family steeped in music and the creative world — their father worked as an A&R artist manager while their mother pursued a promising career as a stylist — naming the band after their family name was an intuitive decision. While they had access to music and the arts, their world unfortunately changed when their father was arrested and went on to serve a 10 year prison sentence. The wide breadth of experiences and family are injected into their art.
Together, Elijah and Isaiah Steen forge an exhilarating musicianship that is not short on humor and perspective — when the band was likened to “the Black Strokes or something,” The Steens weren’t offended by the comparison but later stated, “The Strokes are great, but they’re a little polite, no? If we were gonna be the “black anything” and not “the Black Beatles” can’t we at least be “the Black Iggy Pops.”
Words: Patti Sanchez
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