Better Strangers, featuring Nic Collins, reshape in proggier mould for new instrumental live EP

Better Strangers 2025
(Image credit: Andres Birnbaum)

Better Strangers, the Miami-based band, who feature Nic Collins on drums have undergone a revamp and shifted in a more progressive direction.

The band have parted ways with former singer deCasa (better know as Luis Santiago), leaving a trio of Collins, guitarist Joey Rodriguez and bassist Yang Waingarten. And they've just released a fur-track EP, Live At Gramps, which sees the band moving very much in an instrumental prog direction, and has been produced by David Bottrill (Tool, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel)

"Having released music under different band names with different singers, while playing all around the world despite an inconsistent lineup, Better Strangers decided to lean into denser, more complex instrumental compositions that wouldn’t rely on vocal hooks," the trio say. "With a total 10 years of musical chemistry — the latter two spent on complete reinvention instead of live performance — Better Strangers returns to fill the void they left in 2023, all while carving out a completely new artistic niche for itself."

The band have also released a video of them performing live at the fabled Miami venue (sadly soon to be closing), in which they perform all four tracks from the new EP, plus two additional songs, Ashes and Drinking The Tool-Aid.

Better Strangers will play three local Florida shows in November, kicking off next Thursday, November 6 at Signal in Gainesville, FL, a performance at Gramps in Miami, FL on Friday, November 7 and New World Music Hall on Sunday, November 9, in Tampa, FL.

Get tickets.

Get Live At Gramps.

Better Strangers - LIVE AT GRAMPS - YouTube Better Strangers - LIVE AT GRAMPS - YouTube
Watch On

Better Strangers Live At Gramps EP cover art

(Image credit: Press)

Better Strangers: Live At Gramps
1. Grifter
2. Dedalus
3. We/Heal
4. Sleepwalking

Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.