Scottish noise-pop outfit Strawberry Whiplash are back with another fantastic single (matda052) from their brilliant and varied third album, ‘People Like Us.’
Lead track ‘The Vampire Life’ is a discordant blend of early Mary Chain and late 80s Sonic Youth meets goth Beach Boys, with a killer shoegaze intro and outro plus searing guitars throughout. It is perhaps the closest the band has come to the noisy brilliance of their debut ‘Who’s In Your Dreams’ single (matinée 065) back in 2008 and is a song that will certainly be filling dance floors at the coolest discos by year-end.
The first of two exclusive b-sides, ‘Remember Tomorrow’ is a brand new track written after the album was completed. The song is classic Whiplash pop that uses a glitched and stranded self-driving taxi as a metaphor for a stalled (broken down) relationship, and features a big pop chorus with deliberately muted distortion for extra crunch.
Final track ‘Celestial’ is an acoustic version of an early Strawberry Whiplash song recently discovered on an old hard drive with pared back production that showcases Sandra’s heavenly voice.
The 12-track ‘People Like Us’ album is out next month, and we’ll begin preorders for the album (and two others) very soon. ‘The Vampire Life’ EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.