Fanfare please! It’s been ten years since Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash last graced the new release racks, and the new 12-track ‘People Like Us’ collection combines the best elements of their first two albums ‘Hits In The Car’ and ‘Stuck In The Never Ending Now’ in an absolutely brilliant and varied third album recorded at Strawberry Towers in four months early this year. 

‘(Theme From) People Like Us’ is the song that triggered the idea for the album, a theme to an imagined 1970s class based English sit-com with a clever, economical chorus, inspired minimalist guitar solo, and a ‘70s synth motif. It’s lead singer Sandra’s favourite track on the album. ‘Baby (You’re A Dancer)’—one of three singles that preceded the album—is a smash hit designed to soundtrack your next pool party or beach soirée, and man, Strawberry Whiplash are exactly the sort of people that you want to hang out with! The song is the closest the band has come to dance music, and you will find yourself hilariously grooving to this into the late night hours. Laz' son James plays rhythm guitar on the song. 

‘A Waste Of Honey’ is a slow building one with Velvet Underground-inspired ba-ba-bas, a nice 12-string guitar solo, catchy glockenspiels, and an oboe at the conclusion; while ‘We Built This City on Indiepop’ documents the change of their home town of Glasgow from being a city of heavy industry to a city of culture and commerce, with stereo delay guitar in the verses, young James playing the crunchy guitar in the chorus, and a tight anthemic backing track.

‘At The End Of The Day’—another single lifted from the album—is an instantly loveable smash with a stop/start chorus and beautiful interaction between the vocals and 12-string guitars; while ‘A Crack In The Past’ is a slow song to finish off side one with shimmering fuzz guitars at the start, Orange Juice guitar strumming, a big percussive tom roll, strings and harpsichord inspired by 1960s European cinema soundtracks, a retro-futuristic atmosphere, and ace harmonies. 

‘Under A Summer Spell’ kicks off side two in style with an old tune from Laz’ pre-Bubblegum Lemonade and Strawberry Whiplash band The Stepping Stones, featuring sizzling guitar lines, a bouncing Madchester drum track, and a summery trumpet motif; while third single ‘The Vampire Life’ is a discordant blend of early Mary Chain and late 80s Sonic Youth meet goth Beach Boys, with a killer shoegaze intro and outro plus searing guitars throughout. It is perhaps the closest the band has come to the noisy brilliance of their debut ‘Who’s In Your Dreams’ single back in 2008 and is a song that should be filling dancefloors at the coolest discos by year-end. 

‘Leaving On The Ship Of Souls’—about grown-up kids setting off on their own path—opens with an example of the album’s experimental spirit: the dust from the bongos caused Laz to sneeze while recording his part, so he captured it as a sample, then fed it back through a delay effect that you can hear in the song’s intro. ‘One Way Ticket To Mars’ is a song for our times, with Ramones-inspired drums and guitars, catchy ba-ba-bas, and a song structure that evolves in an unpredictable way, just like a rocket ship to Mars. 

‘Strawberry Moon’ is a last-minute addition to the album, and you can tell that all the tricks and techniques learned during the recording of the album are present on this track. It’s baroque pop, an indie pop take on The Left Banke, and the album’s biggest pop production with emotive strings and a big shimmering guitar solo. Finally, ‘(1985) Again’ concludes the album with a slow, bossa nova number with lo-fi disco drums, a pulsating bass line, percussive glockenspiel, and tasty shoegaze elements. It’s Laz’ favourite track on the album and a clear example of just how to finish off a release. 

A remarkable third album, ‘People Like Us’ is a triumph for the band and another Scottish pop classic for the Matinée discography.