Taking My Time to Be Strawberry Guy

• 1 Without You 03:48
• 2 Mrs Magic 03:28
• 3 Intermission 01:50
• 4 What Would I Do? 03:54
• 5 Birch Tree 04:41
• 6 Taking My Time to Be 03:43
• Total Runtime 21:24

Info for Taking My Time to Be

When Alex Stephens (A.K.A. Strawberry Guy) 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. Now, the South-Wales born, Liverpool-based songwriter is ready to release a full EP of his compelling, lushly produced dream-pop.

Born outside Cardiff, Strawberry Guy moved to Liverpool to study music and grow as a writer. ‘I knew that it was a very artistic city with all it’s creative history, it seemed like the perfect place to move to.’ he says. Whether it’s playing keyboards in The Orielles or just being part of the city’s growing musical scene, Alex plays music for the love of music, something that heavily translates into his adept songwriting.

‘I put out the first single ‘Without You’ on Soundcloud not really expecting much from it.’ he explains, speaking to us about his journey to this release. ‘To actually have a fanbase now from it is surprising and amazing.’ These passionate supporters are already strong in number & character and Youtube is becoming increasingly filled with various fan-made videos for his tracks.

The intense emotional feel of the tracks he writes is down to Alex’s songwriting process, recording the entire EP in his bedroom & producing it himself. ‘I feel that it’s important to me to only write/record when you’re channeling some kind of emotion, so I would only work on it when I was in the right mood to do so.’ He answers when asked about the isolated environment into which he put himself for the recording process.

Much of the inspiration for Alex’s work comes from experience rather than other artists. ‘When something significant happens to me, all I want to do is make music.’ 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 Nillson. Sonically, a blend of orchestral & synthesized melodies layer together to act as a platform for his heartfelt lyrics.

Opener ‘Without You’ is a fine example of this, a break-up song of sorts, with an infectious keyboard melody and swirling synths over which Alex contemplates whether it’s even possible to find lasting love. The lyrics ‘Do you really have to talk about the things you do with him? Do you really have to talk about your love?’ hit particulary heavily.

Contrast this with the final track, the titular ‘Taking My Time To Be’, 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. ‘The song is about me learning to be comfortable with myself, but then wondering if I’ll be accepted for being myself’ Alex imparts. It’s a fitting closer to a EP driven by emotion and experience.

Currently playing his live shows with a full band of ‘berries’ he’s hoping to get a full tour going, and says this is just the beginning. ‘I won’t stop making music, I can’t help but just write, it’s something that I have to do. An album will be coming at some point, I can say that for sure.’

Strawberry Guy

Strawberry Guy
From releasing Soundcloud singles to becoming a streaming superstar, Strawberry Guy’s (Alex Stephens) music career has been as deliciously unique as his name.

Moving to Liverpool to study music, Strawberry began writing and realising his own tracks a year ago while playing with The Orielles. He was encouraged by the artistic vibe of the city and, surrounded by other musicians, Alex felt compelled to find his own voice.

Driven by his love for music, he released his first single “Without You” to Soundcloud without much thought. The response he received was astronomical, leading to an avid fan-base with now almost 2 million Youtube streams. For Alex, following his heart put him exactly in the right place, creating moving dream-pop that spoke to young people, building a group of passionate pop ‘berries’ around the world.

“Taking my Time to Be” is Alex’s debut mini-album which is an exciting maturation on his sound from his original demo. Rich in hook-driven melodies, bubbling synths and passionate songwriting, the new tracks reveal Strawberry as a pop star in the making.

The track, “Mrs. Magic” captures the essence of the new album, atmospheric and hopeful, combining pop hooks with orchestral instruments to convey the uncertainty of new starts. Long story short, we’re fully on the berry-wagon.

This album contains no booklet.