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After a two-year hiatus, indie-pop outfit Strawberry Generation has returned with “Miss Me,” a luminous single awash in wistful misgivings and warm, shoegaze-inspired instrumentals.

 While the band originated in Providence, Rhode Island as the project of college friends turned bandmates, its five members hail from the likes of Singapore, Belgium, and the US. They released their debut album Afloat in 2020 after signing with the well-loved independent label Sunday Records, establishing a jangly, dreamy sound for themselves and a penchant for simple and straightforward vulnerability. In “Miss Me,” they deliver a similar haze of bright guitars and gossamer vocals, tinged with a sense of existential pining and regret. 

Driven by a relaxed, upbeat drum kit, the song’s intro is lush and buoyant, creating an impression of carefree summer days that belie its plaintive lyrics. Underneath the soft vocals and diffused instrumentals are themes of restlessness and discontent, spurred by an antipathy towards a version of oneself that’s already been shed. “I hope to God I can erase / Any semblance of me I’ve found… I’m trying hard to be someone now,” sings vocalists Valerie Zhu and Luk Yean, revealing a yearning for self-evolution and a sense of urgency. Interjected between these self-reflections is a question that can be easy to ask but difficult to answer, “If you miss me then why don’t you call me back?” As the song’s chorus, it’s a question that is repeated throughout the track, and it reflects a similar idea of changing dynamics, evoked this time through the lens of a relationship that’s already unraveling. 

Rather than a hostile accusation, however, the question becomes more of a doleful entreaty when juxtaposed with the honeyed and hazy sounds of the track. It’s this unexpected contrast between sonic optimism and woeful lyrics that lends the song a sense of balance and depth, leaving it delicately wistful rather than overly pessimistic. As the summer comes to a close, “Miss Me” embodies the transition of changing seasons and sentiments in one sun-drenched song. 

"'Miss Me' is yet another song about regret and reflection, and to me it sounds like a long exhale at the tail end of a heavy summer. I hope you hear it too,” shares Yean.

Watch the Melina Ives-directed "Miss Me" video below: