Japanese Wallpaper Shares Dream Pop Track “Imaginary Friends”; Listen Here
July 26, 2019 BY Nettwerk
“Symbolism of the 1990s juxtaposed with virtual reality headsets fills the visual experience. Thrown together are Tamagotchis and old-fashioned camera frames. It comes in tandem with colorful backdrops and the notable pop sound known to Japanese Wallpaper. The creative bar is set high, and I expected no less…It’s safe to say we can anticipate many more ingenious releases from Japanese Wallpaper” – EARMILK
Having supported the likes of M83 and Lily Allen, showcases at SXSW and collaborations with the likes of Holy Holy, Allday and Charli XCX, Gab Strum (aka Japanese Wallpaper) has spent the three years since his 2016 debut experimenting with new sounds and honing his craft as a songwriter and producer. Partnering with Earmilk, Japanese Wallpaper returns with the promise of exciting things to come, following up fan favorite “Fooling Around” with new single “Imaginary Friends” – and a colorful accompanying video.
Fusing acoustic and electronic instrumentation and sharp melodies “Imaginary Friends” is about the end of a close relationship, exploring the tender emotions of late teen-dom and early 20s turmoil.
“None of the things are about massive changes or massive terrible things that happened, or big breakups,” he says. “It’s all songs about little things and it’s also fine to be affected by little things.”
Japanese Wallpaper originated after Strum first composed a string of songs in Garageband at the age of 15. After one of the tracks won triple j’s 2014 Unearthed High competition, geared toward Australian emerging artists, Strum’s career was cemented: music was his destiny. While finishing high school, Strum worked on his 2016 self-titled debut EP. On it, a pensive track called “Breathe In,” caught the attention of Zach Braff who included the song on the soundtrack for Wish I Was Here. Since then he has produced music for the likes of Mallrat, Holy Holy, Wafia, Eilish Gilligan, swim good now, Bec Sandridge, Allday and gathered fans such as Flume, Gotye, Lily Allen, Nick Murphy, Rostam Batmangjil and Charli XCX who he remixed “Need Ur Luv”.
Receiving over 20 million plays on Spotify, Japanese Wallpaper’s self-titled debut EP features Airling, Pepa Knight, Wafia, Jesse Davidson and remixes from Yumi Zouma, UV boi, Elkkle, Anatole to name a few. A festival favorite back home, he’s appeared on stage at Splendour in the Grass, St. Jeromes Laneway Festival, Secret Garden, The Plot, Beyond the Valley and more.
Armed with a defining new sound and more confidence than the teen that emerged from his debut EP, Strum continues to prove himself as one of Australia’s most promising talents.
