Welcome Strawberry "Stargel"

In the wake of a recent extended play and split seven-inch with Quinine, Bay Area heavyweights Welcome Strawberry are on a hot streak and leaving a trail of destruction in their path with the new 12” single, “Stargel.” Released on the formidable à La Carte Records, Welcome Strawberry eschews the saturated sounds of the modern shoegaze scene in favor of the more experimental sounds that canonically followed the shoegaze explosion in the 90s.

Based out of Oakland, CA, Welcome Strawberry is the brainchild of Cyrus VandenBerghe (Still Ruins, Pink Breath of Heaven). “Stargel” is the amalgamation of all things counterculture spanning from the sixties to the aughts—melding elements of psychedelia, shoegaze, trip-hop, and electronica to create a five-minute tripped-out opus. “Inspiration was drawn from disparate sources such as the hypnotic loops of Seefeell, future pop sounds of 90s Madonna, and the psych dance groove of Jagwar Ma,” VandenBerghe says.

Taking cues from old-school techno 12” singles of yesteryear, Welcome Strawberry enlists the help from three artists on the cutting edge of indie and electronic subculture to deliver three blistering remixes of “Stargel.” Cherub Dream Records recording artist Tricky FM creates an IDM-meets-ambient take on the track, crafting a blissed-out melody that lulls the listener into a trance-like state. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s forever ☆ create a UK garage spin on the song fusing breakbeat percussion and wall-of-sound harmonies. Finally, Kai Tak constructs a unique trip-hop spin on “Stargel” that sounds like it could be a hidden track on that scuffed Sneaker Pimps CD stuffed in the visor of your car. 

The 12” single is mixed and mastered by Angel Marcloid, known for her work as Fire-Toolz, at Angel Hair Audio. Visual artist Bruno Lauzon Tanzi embodies the essence of the release with his characteristic y2k rave culture style adorning the cover of the album.