STRAWBERRY BLONDE RELEASES “STAY”
Strawberry Blonde’s highly anticipated single “Stay” is possibly the beachy emo song of the summer. This song is incredibly level but carries the listener to a bright danceable narrative that makes their bio across social media— “Have you ever danced and cried at the same time?” —make perfect sense.
“Stay” starts slow and is carried by guitar riffs that are reminiscent of American Football and Midwest emo while blending with Alternative/Indie Pop staples like The 1975 in an incredibly unique way. These riffs and melodies are repeated throughout the song but manage to not feel incredibly repetitive. This is a very balanced song, and it builds evenly, adding one element at a time. First the guitar, then the vocals, then drums and a rhythm section that are present while not being overbearing. While the chorus is very catchy, the verses of “Stay” are quite pensive and end up mellowing out the otherwise pop-y song. What I found to be the most exciting part of this track wasn’t the melodic guitars or the drums that let the beat come through or the dreamy vocals that reminded me of indie pop’s wistful and romantic Yoke Lore. After the track broke down and was being built back up, what I was most excited about were the horns that came in the final quarter of the song. These horns were so beautifully orchestrated and took the riff that we had been hearing throughout the entire song to the next level. There is a bit of flare that these horns add that really helps elevate “Stay”—an otherwise good song that was made great by this element. The five-piece group put their collective skills to great use with this track, and it is evident that Strawberry Blonde took the past few years to come together to bring some truly excellent music to the world.
If you like any music that falls under the Alternative umbrella (like the aforementioned American Football, The 1975, or Yoke Lore, and probably anything else you can think of) you will probably enjoy “Stay” from Strawberry Blonde.