The Upper Strata
indie-sci-fi-soundtrack vibes
The Upper Strata is a US/Swiss indie-electronic duo blending genres such as shoegaze, dream pop and synth wave. At the heart of this creative duo is songwriting and musical exploration – how they glue it together changes continually. With each album, you get the upper, current layer of the musical strata. The Upper Strata has released 2 EPs, 7 LPs and played over 500 concerts in the US, Canada and Europe.
A Sci-Fi Noir Concept Album and Graphic Novel
Celestial Vagabonds is a genre-bending journey through the cosmos, blending music and storytelling in a fully immersive sci-fi, noir, and fantasy adventure. Created by The Upper Strata, this concept album and graphic novel introduces a world of freedom fighters, detectives, mythical warriors, and cosmic wanderers, all connected through a shabby traveling space circus.
Release – June 20, 2025
A Cinematic Soundtrack for an Intergalactic Circus
Genres: Synth-Pop, Space Rock, Cyberpunk, Sci-Fi Noir
🎧 Pre-Order Soon → [check back in April]
📖 Explore the Graphic Novel → graphic novel
About the Album
Celestial Vagabonds is more than an album — it’s a cinematic soundscape inspired by classic sci-fi, film noir, and fantasy. Drawing from influences like Tycho, Grizzly Bear, and Slowdive, the album blends moody synth textures, pulsating beats, and West African-inspired guitar sounds into a futuristic yet nostalgic experience.
The songs
Our heroes Juniper and Ivy fight against an oppressive empire and seek refuge in an underworld of refugees and revolutionaries, a smugglers den. Others await the return of mythical warriors the Tuzat to help defend the dispossessed. A hard luck future noir detective Hector begins to unravel a mystery that leads him to that side of town. All of it bound together by the Celestial Vagabonds two Earth musicians held captive by a cruel circus master. In between the imprisonment the duo still find momentary peace, Hour of Souls, Escape or marvel at Celestial wonders.
It was a wonderful experience to record and mix portions of this collection in the incredible music city Manchester, England. Regula returned to being keyboard focused on several of the new tracks, while still creating beats, editing, mixing songs and singing. She still plays bass on Precarious, Blood and Thunder and Smuggler’s Den adding her signature low end to those tracks.
«This project is our love letter to sci-fi and noir storytelling,» says The Upper Strata. «We wanted to create a world that feels as cinematic as the music itself — where every song is a different story, but they all connect through the Celestial Vagabonds.»