(PR) Here in the U.S., we like to think that the indie music elite discover the quality, innovative bands before they're corrupted by the Madison Avenue mass marketing machine. In the case of Car Stereo Wars, hipsters have to admit that the suits got there first. This serene but catchy Australian band with roots in trip-hop and electronica has songs featured in ads for products like Dell Computers and Tic Tac Chill. The good news: the band with the "Tic Tac song" has put together an incredible debut album, For Your Comfort and Safety, that is getting great reviews in their native Australia.
Formed as a trio in Melbourne back in 2000, Bassist Jason 'Blackie' White , guitarist Matt Gilman recruited singer Alyssa Doe and put together their first EP called Project A. This recording featured the dreamy single "Broken," which attracted critical attention and wound up on a Ministry of Sound Chillout Compilation. 2001 brought drummer Graeme "Gra" Luther and performances stateside at festivals SXSW in Austin and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York.
Car Stereo Wars released their second EP They Asked Me To be In A Movie. The song 'Come To Nothing' was included on another MOS Chillout Compilation later that year. Feeling stylistically constrained by the chillout genre, Car Stereo Wars experimented with style, instrumentation and personnel until eight years after their emergence as a college trio, Car Stereo Wars' debut full-length album, For Your Comfort and Safety, was born. Showcasing the band's versatility and knack for genre-mixing, For Your Comfort and Safety is an eclectic, layered blend of electric, acoustic, orchestral and electronic instruments, ranging from the bouncy pop of "Radio Edit," to the sweeping outer space adventure of "Smooth."
Car Stereo Wars independently released For Your Comfort and Safety through Greg Records. To hear some of the tracks off it and see their Tic Tac Chill commercial go to: http://www.myspace.com/realcarstereowars This infinitely listenable album easily warrants heavy rotation in your personal playlist. You may wish to have a packet of Tic Tac Chills on hand, just in case you get a craving.
