Strawberry Girls - Italian Ghosts (2017)

When an eclectic group of individuals comes together with an idea to create something fresh, the results can often be outstanding. Such is the case with the experimental rock trio Strawberry Girls. These guys from California were founded by ex-Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Zachary Garren after he crossed paths with drummer Ben Rossett and bassist Ian Jennings. Although the band has worked with guest vocalists, they have remained an instrumental three piece. The album French Ghetto includes vocal appearances by Kurt Travis (A Lot Like Birds, ex Dance Gavin Dance), Nic Newsham (Gatsby’s American Dream), Shane Smit, Kathleen Mae, and Gavin Mulkey. “Our sound was originally built from a desire to practice and play as much as possible, without being restricted by the schedules of many different band members,” says Garren. However, what originally began as an invention out of necessity, became much more than that. Strawberry Girls take a simplistic, yet sometimes technical approach to songwriting by mending parts together that get stuck in your head and compel you to listen to them over and over again. The band's previous critically acclaimed full length, "American Graffiti" was released on November 13, 2015 and hit #22 on the Billboard New Artist Chart. The band has been consistently playing shows since the release including the 10 year anniversary Dance Gavin Dance run and the sold out Super Chon Bros. tour. In late 2016, Strawberry Girls headed back into the studio to re record the masterfully re-written and expanded version of their debut EP "Italian Ghosts". The result is a full circle musical effort that like all other Strawberry Girls records, takes the listener on a sonic journey, that is sure to stand the test of time.