Strawberry Runners

Gloriously imperfect and scratchy, the P-Sides Demo by Denver, Colorado’s Strawberry Runners starts off with “Slip In.” Initially sounding like melodramatic ‘50s pop with a folky undercurrent and sauntering rhythm, the piece works towards a climax of triumphant guitar and jangly background noise. Singer Emi Knight provides a melodic focal point to the piece with her soaring vocal, while male vocalist David Runge sings the contemplative opening verses of second track "Blind Contour Lime.” Once Knight joins Runge in a gorgeous harmony, the piece is set to head straight into a positively jubilant finale. Instrumental “haahooh" meanwhile, built around a throbbing, buzzy melody and screechy background ambiance, concludes this brief release in an almost disarmingly low-key manner.

Recorded live at a band practice via Iphone, this demo might not seem like the perfect representation of Strawberry Runners, but really does capture the very essence of their brand of amiable pop music. Since there’s no amount of production magic to get distracted by, it's very easy to appreciate the songwriting craft on display in these lo-fi recordings. While P-Sides is probably not entirely essential, it's a tantalizing, near perfect introduction to the band. I’d definitely recommend it.

7.0 / 10 — Andy