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Oct 26, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Emma Lavelle

Singer/songwriter Alex Stephens first cut his teeth playing keyboards for The Orielles and Trudy & The Romance, but recently he’s been crafting solo pop symphonies from his Liverpool bedroom. Later this week, Stephens is sharing his debut album as Strawberry Guy, Sun Outside My Window, his steadfastly optimistic lockdown record. Ahead of the release, he’s already shared a handful of singles, but he’s now back with a final taste of the album, “I’ll Be There,” premiering with Under the Radar.

Like much of the record, “I’ll Be There” is a slow-burning work of sweeping romantic beauty. Taking inspirations from both pop and classical music, Stephens’ latest effort captures a crystalline moment in time, one of hope and new beginnings. The swelling strings, sparse piano lines, and cathartic melodies create an expansive sense of scale as Stephen’s lyrics find him reflective and hopeful for what the future brings. The resulting track is beautiful, warm, and life-affirming, like seeing the light of a new day streaming through your window.

As Stephens explains, “‘I’ll Be There’ is a love song really, it’s about me regaining my confidence in a romantic way again. The song starts with me feeling unsure of myself, but it’s behind me now.”

I was really inspired by ‘Venus, The Bringer of Peace’ by Gustav Holst, especially when it gets to the middle section or after the second chorus. I wanted to create this feeling of being swept up off your feet through music here.

There’s no drums keeping the time in the track, just symbol crashes. I wanted to create a sense of rhythmic freedom. Just like the way an orchestra plays with sparse or little percussion.

Check out the song below and watch for Sun Outside My Window, coming October 29th via Melodic Records.