by Soleste Starr
One of the most surprising parts about SXSW was the heavy presence of British musicians and bands! We got to catch up with one of them, Alex Stephens, also known as Strawberry Guy, a moniker he earned for identifying most heavily with strawberry as both a jam donut and milkshake flavor. Alex was an exceedingly jovial interviewee, kindly playing along to my conversational antics such as asking him the color he felt like (yellow!) or if he liked to play games (chess, Animal Crossing). He performed at Cedar Street Courtyard, my favorite venue of the week, between brick buildings in the sweet light of the afternoon, which perfectly accompanied his dream-pop-esque sound.
When I said “dream pop” during our interview, however, he offered instead “garden pop,” a genre which I had never heard of, but made all of the sense in the world! His songs made me feel as though I was sitting in soft grass surrounded by a soft purple hue. Upon discussing this feeling, Alex said that his mom loves Monet, and that a lot of his music inspiration came from the visual concept of impressionism; his music sounds how a Monet painting looks. Indeed, the accompanying visual for his debut album, Sun Outside My Window, is Monet’s “Meadow at Giverny.”
While this visual inspiration came from his mom, he’s actually the only musician in his family. This surprised me thoroughly; music seemed to emanate from him in a deep way. Alex wrote his first song at 13, filled with orchestral inspiration and motivated to capture the beauty he found in the nature of the countryside around him. His music embodies the sweet air of a summer day, drawing listeners in to appreciate the wind through the grass, the hue of the sunshine. He creates a captivatingly romantic atmosphere, filled with feelings of both present contentment and a yearning melancholy. And indeed, I was captivated by this very energy at SXSW. While he’s based across the pond in Liverpool, I sincerely hope that I get to see him perform again one day!
