Artist Strawberry Guy has released his first full-length album, “Sun Outside My Window,” a creation that came two years after the release of his six-song EP, “Taking My Time to Be.” Inspired by Impressionism-era art and nature, the album’s warm and personal songs blend into one another, building into a cohesive and complete piece of art. The songs themselves lack the individuality of Strawberry Guy’s EP but work well as a whole.

Strawberry Guy chose Monet’s “Meadow at Giverny” as the album art, a choice that reflects the album’s ties to his relationship with nature. Mellow lyrics, piano, and dense layers of strings show a matured approach to the instrumentation of his previous singles and EP, giving an expansive, organic sound to the album.

“I want it to sound like I’ve squeezed an 80-piece orchestra into my room, and for listeners to wonder how all those strings got there. Working on the 4-part harmonies, the orchestra became real; I began believing in myself,” Strawberry Guy said.

The album itself begins in waves of orchestration, quickly coalescing into a series of songs meditating on the theme of presence and company. Throughout the course of the album, the lifetime of a relationship rises to the surface, lining the songs with a feeling of familiarity. While taking a more timeless approach to his instrumentation, Strawberry Guy maintains the reflective manner of “Mrs. Magic,” the song that jump-started his solo career and growing fanbase as it went viral on Tik Tok, eventually receiving over 55 million listens on Spotify.

Before releasing the album as a whole, Strawberry Guy released “Company” and “Sun Outside My Window,” the fifth and seventh songs on the album respectively, as singles. The title track proves the album’s most popular song so far. With an uptempo beat and lyrics that draw connections between a shift in seasons and a shift in a relationship, the song gains momentum that flows into the rest of the album.

The final track, “A White Lie” also stands out as an example of Strawberry Guy’s talent for song pacing. The song illustrates the final stage of a relationship where people drift apart, with simple lyrics and a moving piano part. The lyrics “Even though I’m on my own/I feel fine” repeat over and over to the sound of a mounting wave of orchestration that climaxes in intensity before surging away. Backed by the title, they provide a detailed picture of the mixed feelings one can experience while trying to handle the empty space left over when someone leaves.

Although it lacks the unique hooks and memorability of his earlier work, the album as a whole leaves the listener wanting nothing except to listen to it again. Through his cohesive and unique brand of orchestral pop, Strawberry Guy has proven once again that he deserves a spot with today’s rising indie artists.

The Chant’s Grade: A