Review Summary: Classical-tinged indie tunes, pastoral and dreamy
Even by the often overblown and pretentious standards of artist/label blurbs, the description of this record on Strawberry Guy’s Bandcamp page is likely to make the reader wince, as it (among other things) describes the artist as creating “hi-fi symphonies” and “a timeless vista of ethereal balladry”, not too mention being “a one man impressionist, painting majestic soundscapes”. In short, Strawberry Guy is the type to presumably be immediately dismissed by Sputnik’s resident curmudgeon Zakalwe as a “wanker” or perhaps even a “right plonker”. Nonetheless, I’m happy to report that while the waxing Bandcamp praises are a bit in excess, they aren’t wildly far from the mark, and that this is an intriguing and quality album.
To be clear, Strawberry Guy is
not Strawberry Girls, the California math rock band. Instead, Strawberry Guy is the musical alter ego of British musician Alex Stephens. Stephens’ biggest claims to fame so far in his musical career are twofold. First, he’s the former keyboardist for moderately prominent indie pop band The Orielles. Second, his first solo release, a 2019 EP, featured “Mrs Magic”, a tune which unexpectedly garnered huge internet fame primarily through TikTok.
Sun Outside My Window is Strawberry Guy’s second release and debut full-length.
It’s easy to throw around a multitude of genre descriptors when describing this album’s sound.
Sun Outside My Window can be described as on the dreamier side of bedroom pop, with a mellow psychedelic edge and folky revivalist influences from the 60s and 70s. Finally, Strawberry Guy puts the high-culture touches (painting and music) which get referenced in his Bandcamp page to work not only through the Monet-derived album cover but also through classical influences at several points throughout the release. “As We Bloom”, an interlude-length track with classical piano intermixing with dreamy and modern indie sensibilities is the most impressive thing on the album in this reviewer’s humble opinion, while another standout, the extended closer “A White Lie” also thrives with prominent piano. The title track also impresses as perhaps the most memorable of the more straightforward tunes.
It’s doubtful that
Sun Outside My Window will blow you away, it’s far too chill and atmospheric for that. However, even at its weakest, this is still rock-solid bedroom dream pop, bright and soothing, even if the lyrics can sometimes be a bit bland. On the other hand, the more adventurous offerings here, which see Strawberry Guy experiment with infusing classical components into his bread-and-butter, are quite impressive and represent an intriguing direction to (hopefully) pursue further in the future. Ultimately, if the beautiful album art calls your name, it’s probably worth checking this. It’s great mood music, and besides, it’ll give you a clue into what those gosh-darn kids on TikTok have been up to the last few years.
