{"title":"Strawberry Guy","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"taking-my-time-to-be","title":"Taking My Time To Be","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003cstrong\u003eAlex Stephens\u003c\/strong\u003e (A.K.A. \u003cem\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/em\u003e) self-released his debut single last year, he was merely doing it out of a love for songwriting. What he wasn't expecting was a million Youtube streams and an avid fanbase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow, the South-Wales born, Liverpool-based songwriter is ready to release a full EP of his compelling, lushly produced dream-pop. Born outside Cardiff, \u003cem\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/em\u003e moved to Liverpool to study music and grow as a writer. Whether it's playing keyboards in The Orielles or just being part of the city's growing musical scene, \u003cstrong\u003eAlex\u003c\/strong\u003e plays music for the love of music, something that heavily translates into his adept songwriting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMuch of the inspiration for \u003cstrong\u003eAlex's\u003c\/strong\u003e work comes from experience rather than other artists. In terms of musical touchstones however, there's the obvious dream-pop contemporaries such as Beach House and Weyes Blood, coupled with great songwriters of old like Nat King Cole or Harry Nilsson. Sonically, a blend of orchestral and synthesized melodies layer together to act as a platform for his heartfelt lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOpener \"\u003cem\u003eWithout You\u003c\/em\u003e\" is a fine example of this, a break-up song of sorts, with an infectious keyboard melody and swirling synths over which \u003cstrong\u003eAlex\u003c\/strong\u003e contemplates whether it's even possible to find lasting love. Contrast this with the final track, the titular \"\u003cem\u003eTaking My Time To Be\u003c\/em\u003e,\" a powerful song of self-discovery. Beginning with downtempo piano and drums, the song breaks out into a saxophone and synth solo that wouldn't go amiss on a Badalamenti soundtrack. It's a fitting closer to an EP driven by emotion and experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Melodic","offers":[{"title":"White 12\"","offer_id":50394901217611,"sku":"1136303","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50394902102347,"sku":"2056632","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/56fd2163-2fab-44a3-b4c3-784885edfc54_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726449933"},{"product_id":"sun-outside-my-window","title":"Sun Outside My Window","description":"\u003cp\u003eTiptoe between the toadstools of Liverpool’s city parks, and amongst the foliage you might find a \u003cem\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/em\u003e, contemplating his next chord-progression. Composing hi-fi symphonies from within his humble abode, the Welsh-born songwriter is ready to share the fruits of his labour with debut album \u003cem\u003eSun Outside My Window\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA timeless vista of ethereal balladry looking towards 19th Century musical maestros and works of art, it brings new meaning to the term ‘Modern Classic’ and is the most optimistic of lockdown records yet. A one-man impressionist, painting majestic soundscapes, \u003cstrong\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/strong\u003e blends truthful lyrics with lush arrangements to conjure new emotive worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by composers of the Romantic period, or Debussy, Ravel, and other classical artists of the 1800s, his wonderland moves like a Monet painting where arpeggios dance between meadows of dazzling dynamics and dramatic key changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs former keyboard player of \u003cem\u003eThe Orielles\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTrudy and The Romance\u003c\/em\u003e, the light through his floor to ceiling windows has caused a dramatic Greenhouse Effect and now ripening on solo terms, his innocent uploads of ‘\u003cem\u003eWithout You\u003c\/em\u003e’ and ‘\u003cem\u003eF-Song\u003c\/em\u003e’ comfort 2 million Spotify listeners a month.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eMrs Magic\u003c\/em\u003e’ has received 40 million streams, landing at #13 in its chart and countless fan-created videos have appeared on YouTube. Imitating nature’s effect on emotion, like 70s songwriters, or the fantastical soundtracks accompanying vibrant scenes in the Japanese animated Studio Ghibli films and video games, landscape is brought to the fore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMonet’s picturesque Meadow at Giverny features as the album’s accompanying artwork – perhaps a reminder of the rural Welsh countryside views through his childhood home’s window. Just as the first \u003cem\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/em\u003e EP \u003cem\u003eTaking My Time To Be\u003c\/em\u003e offered a slowing down for the soul, \u003cem\u003eSun Outside My Window\u003c\/em\u003e is musically unhurried, written and recorded over 2 years.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Melodic","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50421170045259,"sku":"1132564","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50421172732235,"sku":"1132563","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/533083a7-4605-4dfe-acad-21c5fe877b59_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726756034"},{"product_id":"f-song-and-mrs-magic-strings-versions","title":"F Song and Mrs Magic (Strings Versions)","description":"\u003cp\u003eStepping out of the bedroom and into the Real World, Liverpool’s Strawberry Guy headed down to Peter Gabriel’s idyllic Real World Studios with Manchester’s Northern Session Collective in tow and set about trying to soften and expose the bare bones of his two biggest streaming tracks 'F Song' and 'Mrs Magic'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStripped of drums and synths, the music is pared down to piano and romantic new strings arrangements, bringing the careful melodies and indrawn lyrics to the fore.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving recorded the original tracks in his Liverpool bedroom, swapping the originals’ string samples for their real-life counterparts lends the tracks an even more ethereal quality than the self-produced originals. The trip to Real World marks a first foray into studio recording for Strawberry Guy, and a new high-fidelity direction for the project, as he begins the process of making his sophomore album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe vinyl edition of these new songs features the two new strings versions along with the originals of both tracks, meaning fans can finally get their hands on a physical version of early single “F Song.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile the music of Strawberry Guy favours a hermetic, headphones-forward sound lying somewhere between \u003ci\u003eBryter Layter-\u003c\/i\u003eera Nick Drake\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eThe Clientele, Slowdive’s \u003ci\u003ePygmalion, \u003c\/i\u003eand the psychedelic 70s output of fellow Liverpudlian Paul McCartney\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eit’s nonetheless become a smash on TikTok and streaming services with a fanatical young and diverse fan base.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Melodic","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":50435055452491,"sku":"2055265","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/MELO138_fd08e975_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726899172"},{"product_id":"give-me-a-dream","title":"Give Me A Dream","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/strong\u003e’s new album \u003cem\u003eGive Me A Dream\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender, fragile and intimate 14-track record, arriving as the ultimate hopecore long player at just the right moment. It feels like a guiding light and a kind of healing for the mind, tracing the tight-rope balance of making it through life intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHere, \u003cstrong\u003eStrawberry Guy\u003c\/strong\u003e moves beyond dreamy indie-pop home recordings into a beautifully clear and fully realised vision, using a more immersive studio approach. The album shifts from sparse, fluid piano parts to rich, engulfing layered strings, infectious melodies and a thoughtful reflection on manhood shaped by fraught emotional states.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGive Me A Dream\u003c\/em\u003e is a real step up: brimming with ideas, glistening production and a tender heart.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Strawberry Recordings","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":57973531541835,"sku":"R6285-5361","price":36.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":57973531574603,"sku":"R6285-5163","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/image_6.png?v=1785310865"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/strawberry-guy.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}