STRAWBERRY FUZZ, MILLER'S GARAGE

Strawberry Fuzz have been a fixture of the Venice Beach music scene for the past five years, growing from scrappy garage punk beginnings into a band that thrives on high energy explorations of rock and punk in all their forms. Over the years, lead guitarist Kris Miller's garage has served as the band's rehearsal space, hangout, and late night workshop, and a backdrop for their circle of friends. And it’s where much of their music has come together. “It’s where we write a lot of our stuff,” singer Colby Rodgers has said. “He’s got this old saloon piano, and guitars are everywhere. We pretty much go there every weekend, and there are always friends coming through. It’s the best ‘afters’ hangout in town.”

On their new album, Miller’s Garage, the band brings their real world directly into the record. Sessions often began at Alex’s place, where writing turned into tracking the moment an idea surfaced, and long running live staples sat beside songs that arrived fresh from late night jams. They pulled from years of loosely held demos, shaping older ideas like “Burnt” and “Found Me Dead” through repeated shows before committing them to tape. Snippets from tours, phone videos, and the voices of friends weave through tracks like “House Party” and “Tour Song,” giving the album the same layered chaos and spontaneity that circles their weekends.

Musically, the album is a fantastic blend of garage, hardcore, punk, and rock with a splash of surf. The band moves fast and loose, with bursts of raw energy and lots of memorable hooks. Combined with their bare knuckle lyrics you feel like you've been invited into one of their late-night house parties. It’s one that I definitely want to attend.