Today, Strawberry Launch has reintroduced themselves to the pop scene with “Ready Yet,” a warm pop ballad that bridges the whimsy of adolescence with the power and freedom of adulthood.
A lot has changed for the New York-based band since their self-titled EP dropped in 2021. Namely, they’ve all graduated from college and are trying to identify a path forward, while watching their friends’ lives change around them. The maturation of the band shines distinctly in the themes of this single. “I was dying to get to this part and now it’s slipping away,” sings lead vocalist, Riiza. It’s clear they’ve been grappling with uncertainties within themselves and the future.
Pleading for the reassurance that anybody else is feeling the same pangs of ambiguity, Riiza sings, “I don’t mean to scare you, or to be so upfront but do you feel the way I do? I’m not ready yet, and neither are you.”
Sonically and thematically, this is Strawberry Launch’s most ambitious work, building upon a psychedelic melody until reaching the spacey bridge before the final chorus. It’s an honest and complex dreampop facing track that sounds polished but not overproduced. The hazy synths echo a sentiment of uncertainty that lingers when looking back idealistically on early life. This fresh sound is the apex of their discography, and presents a hopeful future for this band, despite their fear of it.
If this single is any indication of what is to come from Strawberry Launch, we can expect a direction toward self-actualization that we’ve yet to see from the emerging band. Keep an eye out for Strawberry Launch and catch them at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on May 3rd and/or The Sultan Room on June 7th.
“Ready Yet,” out now via Trash Casual, is accompanied by a music video, which you can watch here.
stagedhaze.com 
Great write up. Looking forward to listening to this band!
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