Strawberry Guy, aka Welsh Billboard 100 artist Alex Stephens, releases his highly anticipated second full-length studio album, Give Me A Dream – out now via AWAL. Marking his first album in five years, the record has been labelled “a rich, ambitious and lush record” by Uncut and single “I’ll Never Feel That Young Again” praised as “a shimmering slice of nostalgic pop”.
Alongside the release of Give Me A Dream today, Strawberry Guy unveils the album’s title track. “Give Me a Dream” is poignant yet potent, as sparse piano keys and Alex’s tender yet stirring voice give way to huge sweeping strings. It’s a powerful depiction of hope and clinging onto beauty during times of turbulence.
Speaking on the release today, Alex says “This record is for the people that need it. I hope it provides the same relief and comfort it has provided me. It is an album for our younger self, current self, and future self. Give Me A Dream is the search for feeling, wonder and escape. For something that takes you out of the dark and into the light behind the door.”
Recorded at the legendary Sonic Ranch in Texas, the creative home of albums by Fiona Apple, Tyler, the Creator and Big Thief, and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Matt Colton (Arctic Monkeys, Little Simz, Tame Impala, Wet Leg), Give Me A Dream signals a major creative leap forward for Stephens.
“Going from my bedroom to probably one of the best studios in the world was like, ‘whoa!’,” Alex says. Tender and quietly expansive, the record finds Strawberry Guy at his most accomplished, pairing his signature dreamlike indie pop with his most personal songwriting to date. Album highlights include the infectious “Only Gets Better”, featuring a piano melody and vocal refrain that lingers in your head for days, the album’s title track, a powerful depiction of hope and clinging onto beauty during times of turbulence as well as album closer “Better Man”, an exquisite rumination on manhood.
Throughout, Give Me A Dream holds you in a vice-like grip between vulnerability and fragility as well as hope and optimism – exploring the tight-rope balance that is making it through life intact. “Music is a way of giving myself hope and clarity.” says Alex. “And I think that if I can give that to other people, then that’s a beautiful thing.”
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