Perhaps best known for stints in acclaimed indie acts Mood Rings and Promise Keeper, the Georgia-born, London-based singer/songwriter and guitarist William Fussell grew up surrounded and immersed in country music. And with his recording project Honey Harper, Fussell introduced himself to the country music world with the release of his debut EP, 2017’s Universal Country, a critically applauded effort that found Fussell that draws influence from his Georgia roots — but with a genre-bending, outsider perspective. 

Fussell is currently working on his full-length debut, which is slated for release later this year but in the meantime, the Georgia-born, London-based singer/songwriter and guitarist is releasing an EP in April — and his first single of this year, which also is the EP’s first single is the shimmering and atmospheric “Strawberry Lite.” Centered around fluttering electronics, steel pedal guitar and Fussell’s crooning and a soaring hook, the song is a cosmic (and perhaps shoegazey) take on the familiar and beloved country sound — and while pushing the genre in a very different direction, the new track manages to built upon a swelling range of subtle (yet very profound) emotions. 

Speaking about how the song came together, Honey Harper shares, “‘Strawberry Lite’ was written on the couch in my living room and on the floor of Dean Street Studios, where I record most often. I lay on the ground of the studio with Mick and Gus, two of my band members, as we discussed the song and what we all thought it meant. We talked about the past and the future, stress and letting go, The Grateful Dead, old hippie slogans, and hip new t-shirt companies and I wrote out new lines and transcribed mumbled demo verses to finish the lyrics.” Finally, he deconstructed the song and pieced it back together with the help of Parisian production trio Mind Gamers (Sebastien Tellier, John Kirby, and Daniel Stricker) to create the final version of the song as it stands now.