From the beginning of War Strings’ “Surreal” its blend of textural sounds and deep atmosphere bears immediate resonance with Drowse mid-90s Flying Saucer Attack. It establishes a delicate and billowy sound where the steady guitar riff anchors the ethereal vocals before they have a chance to dissolve into the background drone flowing off the core stream of sounds. The lyrics are like images from a dream spent contemplating an old hurt and trying to sublimate off that pain even if that may not happen on the first attempt. The final stanza of lyrics “In everything I see/It’s surreal, surreal/It’s all blown out/All blown out/All blown out” is like a mantra to the way memory can distort our current emotional state when we lean into it but in addressing the heartaches that stick with you it’s usually necessary to just feel it and not try to escape even when it can leave you disoriented and confused for longer than might be comfortable. And while the song has that ghostly, haunted quality it isn’t one that is built on dissociation or avoidance. Listen to “Surreal” on YouTube and follow War Strings at the links provided.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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