Welcome Strawberry - ‘Desperate Flower’

Rising Oakland DIY band Welcome Strawberry, led by musician Cyrus VandenBerghe, have made quite the impression since dropping their wildly underrated 2022 self-titled debut LP. Jangly, woozy, dreamy guitar vibes permeate their sound, and now, they’re keeping the creative streak rolling with the release of their sophomore album this past week, Desperate Flower.

Released via á La Carte Records and Cherub Dream Records, Desperate Flower weaves through a gorgeous palette of shimmering dream pop, homespun psychedelia, and experimental noise and shoegaze textures. Lead single “Memory Cube” devastated us with its driving basslines, lucid melodies, and hypnotic percussion. Other tracks such as “Violets and Honey” leaned into more tender jangle pop vibes, while the title track morphs into a kaleidoscopic psych-pop jam recalling the likes of Apples in Stereo and other Elephant 6-type moods.

Overall, Welcome Strawberry’s Desperate Flower is both intimate and expansive - drawing inspiration from ‘90s Athens, GA stalwarts, Bay Area power pop vets, as well as Kiwi-pop staples like The Bats and The Chills. Groovy and nostalgic, but also experimental and forward-thinking all at once. - songs that feel like shifting memories through bouts of whistle-clean melody and raw, dissonant distortion.

Feel free to purchase the album HERE, and preview it below: