It’s a strange time to be making music. Some days, it feels like fiddling while the world burns. But still, music remains a necessary, sacred spell.

It helps us come to terms with a world that is chaotic and cruel. Music helps the light get in, no matter how dim it may seem.

Since their formation in 2015, Strawberry Blonde has seen the world change time and time again. With the departure of bassist Sean Power in 2023 and guitarist Sam Barna nearly a year later, the band has had to recalibrate and redefine their sound. Their 2016 EP Better Still featured a collection of songs blurring genre-lines in favor of feeling. Big mood swings haunt their blend of R&B, emo, and pop. Drawing comparisons to both Foxing and Bon Iver, Strawberry Blonde refuses to be boxed-in by labels. And if their newest single, ‘Enemy,’ is any indication, their next album will be a sweeping, style-defying magnum opus of post-post-modern pop songwriting.

‘Enemy’ perfectly blends pop music’s melodic sensibilities with the jangly dissonance of midwest emo. Big guitar bends meld with catchy vocal hooks for an end-of-summer dance party. While Strawberry Blonde’s previous work falls more along the groovier side of pop, this single’s driving rays of sunshine feel cinematic and sprawling. And this band is no stranger to the screen. Their song ‘Another Dream’ was included in the soundtrack for the movie All Those Friendly People. After listening to ‘Enemy,’ it becomes easy to understand why their music pairs perfectly with visual media. Their music paints pictures.

This new single is our first glimpse at Strawberry Blonde’s forthcoming record No Past to Live. As the weather turns and the nights get longer, ‘Enemy’ sounds like the hopeful dying gasp of that endless summer sky. And as we look ahead to the gathering darkness, it’s okay to turn ‘Enemy’ up real loud and dance the withering away.

“Sonically, ‘Enemy’ is designed to feel like a foil to the negative feelings expressed in the lyrics.”

‘Enemy’ was based around one of Liam’s demos from 2023. How did the song change as it made its way towards this final form?

The original demo that Liam made for ‘Enemy’ was a bit more lo-fi with programmed drums. The band used vocals and other background elements from that original demo as the foundation of the version that would later be recorded in June 2024 at Hilda Music Co. There was an effort to preserve as much as possible from that demo especially the parts and compositionally the immediacy but to capture more of the live energy of the band in the studio.

The band has always avoided assimilation into one genre or another. Does No Past To Live In expand on the ideas in ‘Enemy’ or venture off into different directions?

‘No Past To Live In’ expands on the sound of the band but might feel like a return to form for some listeners. The last EP ‘Somebody Hold Me’ was sonically the biggest departure from the band’s older work. There is a return to the emo-leaning songwriting of the band’s early music and a reemphasis on distorted guitars and shoegaze influences with songs like ‘Enemy’ and a few other tracks on the album. There are definitely still more explorative tracks and some dreamy pop songs with synthesizers and even a fully acoustic song too. It does feel like a diverse listen yet the most cohesive record Strawberry Blonde has made to date.

How has the departure of bandmates influenced these new songs and new sounds?

After the recording of ‘No Past to Live In,’ co-founder and guitarist Sam Barna would amicably leave the band. Sam played numerous instruments and was an additional engineer on ‘No Past To Live In’ and was involved in the writing process over the past few years. Sam’s influence is still very much all over the album. During the recording process, Liam would begin to take a larger role with the songwriting and production of the songs. It was a first for the band to have new music being built from Liam’s home recordings instead of from the ground up in a room together. That being said, there were some really fun and collaborative moments in the studio. Certain songs were also necessary to re-record entirely without losing that initial spark. Drummer Martine Mauro-Wade would contribute a great deal to the record as well, with his expressive performances that feel more nuanced than ever on ‘No Past to Live In’. The opening track ‘Straight to Hell’ is a lyrically intense and sonically explorative song for the band. However, when it was recorded for the album it lacked a bridge or ending so those sections were written from scratch at Hilda. The trumpet parts performed by multi-instrumentalist bandmate Carey Ozmun were also written during the same sessions.

Previously bassist Sean Power departed after the release of the band’s last EP ‘Somebody Hold Me,’ leaving bass duties up to co-producer and mixing engineer Joe Rom and bandmate Sam Barna with Liam’s input when necessary for parts and general direction.

What do you hope listeners take away from ‘Enemy’?

Sonically, ‘Enemy’ is designed to feel like a foil to the negative feelings expressed in the lyrics. It’s a short song with fuzzy guitars and emotive vocals that is both bleak and happy sounding at the same time. We honestly hope to uplift the listener with the energy of the song and hopefully make them feel like they can push past their shortcomings to arrive at happiness in spite of it all. The band also filmed a b-movie horror style music video for ‘Enemy’ with a production company called Sixth Cents. It features an evil doppelgänger version of Strawberry Blonde and released on Halloween this year and it was a lot of fun to make! It’s on YouTube and clips are on social media, so we hope everyone will check that out too!

Headline photo: Strawberry Blonde (Credit: Carly Tribby)

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