Euphoria Station – Smoking Gun (Self-Released, 2025)
On Smoking Gun, their third full-length release, Los Angeles-based band Euphoria Station pays tribute to Southern rock legends while continuing to explore their progressive rock edge. The album features an excellent cover of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Take the Highway” and introduces drummer Toss Panos (Robben Ford) and bassist Jorgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule) to the lineup. Returning contributors include Ronald van Deurzen on keyboards, Tollak Ollestad on harmonica, Rebecca Kleinmann on flute, Mike Disarro on harmony vocals, and founding members Saskia Kraft van Ermel (vocals) and Hoyt Binder (guitars and dobro).
The album draws inspiration from imagery of the American West, framing its loosely connected themes around a metaphorical train journey, touching on love, memory, and mythical gunslingers, while saluting fallen Southern rock icons. Musically, Smoking Gun combines roots-driven Southern rock, hard rock, and dazzling instrumental progressive rock, marked by superior guitar solos and emotive, engaging, and enthralling vocal performances. Highlights include the charming, full-blown progressive rock instrumental “Dusty Roads.”
Euphoria Station formed in 2015 when Kraft van Ermel and Binder met in Hollywood, united by their shared love for progressive rock, jazz, and classic Americana. Their debut, One Heart, featured contributions from drummer Chris Quirarte, bassist Paulo Gustavo, and keyboardist Mike Farrell.
With their second album, The Reverie Suite, the band shifted toward a more organic, acoustic aesthetic inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest. This evolution led to the formation of the Americana Day Dream Revival Orchestra, a collective that added violinist Trevor Lloyd and percussionist Bobby Albright to the mix.
Buy Smoking Gun.