Premiere: Strongboy's "Then Again"

Strongboy having a laugh Credit: Kate Giffin

Strongboy‘s upcoming album, Steady, is some sweet summer riffage. Mellow, twinkly, a little bit sad with a sheen of optimism, it’s a tight half hour that will take you from home to the beach this summer. Guitarist and vocalist Brett Jerrett describes the album as inspired by “a ton of love, and a touch of loneliness.”

“I worked a back-shift job where I had the freedom to listen to music and work by myself. So when we came up with new songs at jam, I would take bad recordings with my phone and listen to them at work until I was able to sing a melody over it,” says Jerrett. “All of the songs on the album were written that way, it was great. I got to dedicate nearly all of my day to creating music with my best friends.”

Available June 30 on Atlanta label Human Sounds Records, the four-piece recorded and mixed the album with bandmate Alex Sheppard and mastered it with Garrett Johnson (Gary’s House) in Montreal

Below, listen to a stream of “Then Again,” a surprisingly cheery song about loneliness. “Lyrically it reflects my self-doubt and the way my negativity was clouding my perspective of everything/everyone. When I wrote this song, I felt sincerely that I was often too scared to leave the house,” says Jerrett. “Usually I try to deal with some of my negative feelings with humour. Musically it’s one of the more upbeat songs on the album. I think that’s why ‘why do I feel so great?’ felt funny as a chorus.”