Strongboi

strongboi are only limited by their imaginations. Well, that, and the amount of magnetic tape at
their disposal. The glo-fi project of long-time Berlin friends Alice and Liv, the pair began their
ultra-colourful alt-pop experimentation with Casio keyboards and broken down toys, before it
began to blossom into something bigger. strongboi’s succinct self-titled debut album turned
heads on its 2023 release – a seven-song dose of magical thinking, it recalls everyone from Mac
DeMarco’s DIY pop through to Tennis and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, all while sounding
completely and utterly them.
Groove-infused pop pastelism, the album was followed by 2025’s ace, straight-forwardly titled
‘EP 1’; sold out shows on both sides of the Atlantic; a superlative-inducing KEXP session; a
co-sign from Elton John, and about 40 million streams as the world and their sister fell head
over heels for the Berlin project.
Alt-pop magical thinking, the pair work direct-to-tape. It’s a process that favours their smudged,
caramel-soft sound, but while the recording process is constrained their creativity isn’t.
Luminous songwriting blessed with the exuberance of 12-year-olds hepped up on sugar snacks,
it’s an approach that echoes “the way most of our favourite albums were recorded,” Alice insists.
“We learnt a lot, we lost our minds,” she recalls of the feverish sessions behind their debut
album.
“It all happened so quickly,” she adds. “It was so freeing and fun to start something that had no
identity, no desire to fit into one genre, no constraints. And I’m happy to say that all these years
later, it still feels that way.”
Recording direct-to-tape has meant that strongboi need to iron out the mistakes before they
enter the studio. As a result, everything is in its right place – a loose-knit exactness that pulls
each musician closer. Live, strongboi blossoms to six people, and this line-up has bowled over
audiences in Europe and North America. In addition to their own sold out shows – including
London’s ultra-cool Village Underground – the band linked up with Man I Trust for a 31-date
spectacular, a journey that pulled them ever-closer to their audience.
Taking this performance elasticity back into the studio, strongboi allow their live prowess to feed
into their songwriting, and their songwriting to feed back into their live prowess. It’s all cyclical,
y’see. ‘EP 1’ allowed the group to blossom, a kind of viral experience that has allowed them to
reach an audience of millions while still retaining an underground feel. They rarely give
interviews, and shy away from the hype; “which is maybe a bit naive in today’s music industry,
but it’s just naturally how we approach this.
And the music speaks for itself. A fresh era opens with new single ‘think twice’, a song
somehow more urgent, defined, and melodic than ever before. A hazy neo-psych jewel that taps
into summer’s energy, it offers the world in three minutes, a micro melodic mission statement.
“We just want the music to be front and centre and for that to be all we can offer.”