Southern California Indie Beach Rockers Casual Vice Drop Newest Single ‘Instead’ With A New EP On The Horizon

Meeting over the production of a song, Brandon Hoogenboom and Kyle Krone realized that something just clicked. Hired by Hoogenboom as a producer, Krone was pleasantly surprised at the uplifting spirits within the studio, and how they were easily carried away with the enjoyment of creating music together. Thus, Casual Vice was born, bringing both of their experiences to the table. 

Interviewed by American Songwriter, Krone explained that he was part of a band called The Shys, from which stemmed his publishing deal with Peer Music Publishing. Switching over to Big Deal Music Group later on, The Shys finished their course, and Krone started writing more for himself, after realizing control over his own music career started with him.

On the other side, Hoogenboom was part of Set Sail, a Sydney pop band on tour internationally, until problems with his visa arose. And since, the sunny joint venture known as Casual Vice has been willed into existence, and both contribute to the writing, and lend their vocals on tracks both together and solo. 

Blending their sound of pop rock and indie alternative, their new single “Instead”, captures the spanning influences of artists like The Talking Heads, Leonard Cohen, and The Cure. Out now and released on January 11th, of 2021, the electric and energetic song contrasts with the downhearted and dismal lyrics. It’s the definition of happy and sad at the same time. The phrases “I thought I was untouchable/ All the strongest parts of me were creeks running into a stream…Instead/ I’m a weary traveler”, describe how many can relate to having an internal battle of feeling on top of the world and at the highest peak at certain times, but then realize they are actually stuck in the valley or have weaknesses that weren’t even recognized before. Like the feeling of floating in water, but really you’re sinking to the bottom. 

“Antihero”, “Brighter Days”, and “High Praise”, are just some of their earlier released singles, two of which were featured on their last EP, Summer Noir. The EP is a collection of breezy tunes that take you to a tropical island with the only care in the world being the sun shining on your face and the sand in your toes. The recurring grooves create a lighter and more weightless take on the classic rock genre. 

With the constant creativity and flow of songs, expect exciting things from Casual Vice’s new EP Joie De Vivre, out Feb. 12th, 2021.