Stroik can finally see the light through the shadows three years after his untimely death with the release of his debut single, "Desert Time." With its gentle fusion of indie pop, dream pop, and lo-fi bedroom vibes, the track is a whisper from another time that's at once intimate and panoramic. It's a bittersweet welcome from a voice not heard with enough frequency in life, but one that carries a new resonance now.
Stroik, born Drew Stroik, was a North Carolina native and a prolific songwriter, though much of his talent was hidden behind a veneer of privacy. While briefly signed to Andy Chase's Unfiltered Records, his own personal demons and vices kept his music from the world. In his absence, though, his music circulated quietly among industry figures, a promise of greatness snuffed out too soon. He shares with us the release of "Desert Time," which lends a first official taste of that living brilliance, taken from his "lost album," 65th and York, created in collaboration with Chase and Bruce Driscoll, a songwriting team with productions on Freedom Fry, Blondfire, and Avicii.
The single is a lesson in restraint and feeling. Effortless, cobwebby, and relentless, Stroik's voice hovers above sparse production, leaving the melodies room to take a breath. Co-written with Andy Chase, "Desert Time" possesses a personal and universal emotional depth, with loneliness, yearning, and contemplation present in every note. The lyric video, directed by Bruce Driscoll and Doug Werby, beautifully reflects the song's ethereal quality, contributing to a bittersweet story without distracting from the core sentiment.
Stroik was never given the recognition he deserved in life, but "Desert Time" reads like a soft suggestion that his artistry was merely biding its time. An album is set to release in full on October 24 via Unfiltered Records / Caveman Arts Society, but for now, this is just the boys getting warmed up. The few who appreciate heartbreaking pop and lo-fi narrative gravitate toward Stroik's universe, in which every note shifts with spectral brilliance, interrupted, yet never gone.
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