CURRENT ROTATION: Smoking With Strangers - Dallas’s Dark Electronic Dreamscape

From the glowing heart of Dallas, Texas, comes Smoking With Strangers, a sonic trip where cinematic soundscapes collide with retro-fueled synths and pulse-pounding rhythms. It’s not just electronic music; it’s a full-blown experience.

The brainchild of producer and founder Jay Sustain, Smoking With Strangers floats between worlds …chill-out atmospheres, orchestral waves, and beats built for the dance floor. Think Depeche Mode and Gary Numan reimagined through the modern textures of Bonobo and CloZee. The result? A sound that’s immersive, experimental, and effortlessly cool.

After earning a Dallas Observer Music Award nomination for Best Electronic Act and dropping their debut LP Elements in 2020, a collaboration with producer Fully-Maxxed and featuring world-renowned cellist Dave Egger, Jay’s now pushing the project into new territory. The live experience is evolving too, incorporating more live instruments and band energy for a show that hits harder, deeper, and more human.

Now, Smoking With Strangers is set to return with their next sonic chapter: Don’t Disappear, due out October 31. The album merges shadowy, melodic electronics with downtempo grooves and progressive textures. Lush orchestral arrangements pulse alongside hypnotic rhythms, crafting a soundscape that’s equally suited for late-night cruising or quiet, reflective moments. It’s the perfect soundtrack for anyone chasing the glow of the city at 2 a.m., lost in thought but moving to the rhythm.

With cinematic layers, haunting melodies, and a pulse that never fades, Don’t Disappear promises to cement Smoking With Strangers as one of Dallas’s most exciting and atmospheric electronic acts.

Turn down the lights, crank it loud, and lose yourself, because when you’re Smoking With Strangers, you’re not just listening. You’re feeling every frequency.