The passion project of Philadelphia-based musician Adam Stehr, STEHREO puts an original twist on analog recording techniques. Today, he is releasing the second single under the moniker titled “Better Half.”
Lowtemp Music · STEHREO – Better Half
A cut from his debut artist album coming later this year via Gramatik imprint Lowtemp, “Better Half” as with all the tracks on the project, are written, recorded, mixed and produced solely by Stehr. Following the album’s first release, the indie-rock influenced “Chasing Demons,” “Better Half” is Stehr’s sonic interpretation of the impending collapse of the world around him.
With a cool detachment, Stehr sings of a looming presence just outside his periphery, becoming lost in his own delusions, and the need for release. The beat is felt in the hips as the song jaunts along with uncompromising swagger. The microtonal instrumental lines add to the sense that something is existing undefined just outside the periphery, in between the semitones that the ear comprehends with ease. “Ultimately, this is a song of internal and external disconnection that grapples with the need for confidence without egotism and survival without insanity,” Stehr explains. “However, at its center there is a calm heart that dances through the rain with eyes open.”
A Pennsylvania native, Stehr has traveled the world performing everything from Folk and Rock to Blues and EDM. Now based in Philadelphia, Stehr channels his love of music through production and performance. Drawing heavily from early American music genres, STEHREO explores unexpected ways to close the musical generation gaps:
“My primary goal in releasing these songs is simply to affect people. I hope that
the music can help someone get through their day or even just smile for a
moment, dance with their coworkers, do something nice for a stranger, or even cry
a little. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to create music and Iʼd like to share
it with people in a way that is relatable. Art and love are two things that we as humans have yet to fully explain and understand. How can something so simple make us feel such intense emotions? Because it is not simple at all. Itʼs non-binary and complex. For me, music is magic.”
-Adam Stehr