Strawberry Runners release a spur-of-the-moment compilation of delightful demos

If you wanted to over-analyze the title of Strawberry Runners‘ newest release, there’s no need. The title is pretty straightforward-it was put out on lead singer and songwriter Emi Night’s birthday and, as such, is simply titled happy birthday.

As Night explains in a DM, happy birthday was a spur-of-the-moment idea to make her birthday a little brighter and to connect with her listeners, who haven’t really heard a new Strawberry Runners song since 2017.

 I released this album to make sure my birthday wouldn’t feel as sad as last year at the start of lockdown. I’ve been checked out from social media for most of the last year, and have felt a little guilty for having so many unreleased songs just sitting around getting dusty, so I wanted to reconnect with folks and share something special. Releasing the demos was a last minute decision – I had the idea on Saturday, Lucas [Knapp] mixed them on Sunday, and I released the album on Monday. I like doing things spontaneously like that – it keeps me from getting too nervous about the outcome.

Just as Night expresses, the whole album is a collection of demos that she’s worked on over the year. The majority of the songs feature Night alone singing and playing guitar, with “Angel In the Glass,” “Hollow,” and “Let The Night Come Slowly” proving to be the only exceptions. The slightly grainy quality and simplicity of the whole thing lends it a sort of refreshing charm. Where some albums only find their diversity of sound by having different instrumentation between songs, Night manages to make each song distinct without much adornment, letting her melodic lines and lyrical work speak for themselves.

You can check out the album below. There’s a chance that some of the demos from happy birthday may end up on future Strawberry Runners albums, so be sure to keep on releases through Instagram or Facebook (and maybe take the chance to wish Night a happy belated birthday while you’re at it).