Welcome Strawberry – Welcome Strawberry CS (Cherub Dream Records)

Our friends at Cherub Dream Records sent us another treat. At first, this tape seemed like an experimental piece, mainly because of abstract visual imagery, but I was wrong. It’s one of those rare occasions I miss the genre by looking at the cover artwork, but it happens sometimes. Thankfully, my guess was far away because this tape bursts with some mindblowing compositions that will unquestionably appeal to the admirers of shoegaze sound. Welcome Strawberry is an experienced musician capable of blending brilliant ideas and skillful musicianship into colossal slabs built upon ear-appealing, harmonious, reverby ambiances. At least, that seems to be the case because this material carries many outstanding moments that will keep you listening to it repeatedly.

Perhaps this material carries eleven numbers that dominantly burst with all the finest properties of shoegaze, but don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some other genres along the way. Welcome Strawberry wisely implemented some additional sonic ingredients that unquestionably enhance the ambiance on an entirely new level. You’ll hear alternative, psychedelic rock, psych-pop, dream pop, indie, and other complementary genres or some of their elements lurking around in the mix. Many bands included generous servings of heaviness and aggression into their tunes by implementing sludgy, abrasive, raw riffs, but that’s not the case here. Welcome Strawberry does the opposite and solely relies on calm, relaxing, cathartic chord progressions, riffs, melodies, harmonies, themes, ambiances, and other sonic delicacies that define only the best shoegaze releases.

It’s nearly mindblowing how this material resonates with the nineties vibes from scratch to finish. At some moments, you’ll notice how alternative rock and indie inspired this artist to assemble such songs. However, there are some defining elements of shoegaze, dream pop, grunge revival, and post-hardcore pushing this material toward the contemporary sound. Each track comes with nearly whispering but high-pitched vocal segments, which enhance these tracks even more. This material is one of the best things that happened to modern shoegaze sound in recent years, and you should check it out if you’re into the genre. Head to Cherub Dream Records for more information about ordering the tape.