The band Snow Strippers has a distinct style of music video. They look as though they were filmed on a digital camera or an iPhone 5c, featuring vocalist Tatiana Schwaniger dancing hauntingly in parks, basements, or suburban streets.
In an interview with Interview magazine, Schwaninger describes their process for scouting locations for videos as “driving around the day of and see(ing) somewhere that looks fire.” Snow Strippers’ amateur-ish shoots feel like watching an early YouTube video. The simple, low-level video production is refreshing and alluring in 2023 amid labels trying to pander to the aesthetics of high-branded TikTok.
Snow Strippers are a Detroit based Dance/Electronic band consisting of vocalist Schweringer and producer Graham Perez. Snow stripper is an electroclash duo, which is a genre reminiscent of pulsating 80’s and 90’s electronic music.
Snow Stripper’s videos harken back to the late 2000s and early 2010s. While the Y2K aesthetic currently has a stranglehold on Instagram feeds, “April Mixtape 3” brings listeners back to a different era of the 21st century; where the TV talks of a “housing crisis” while Crystal Castles blasts through your moody cousin’s earbuds. Everyone’s jeans are now sprayed on and hats snapback; stuff is getting a little more confusing than before.
Schwaniger’s voice blends and contrasts perfectly to Perez’s intense beats. “It’s goin bad,” the album’s best work, is an example of their synergy. The vocals meld into the production, creating an ethereal listening experience for a long stretch, until Schwaninger’s eerie falsetto combined with fascinating songwriting bring the listener back to reality.
Their breakout mixtape, “April Mixtape 3,” is simultaneously wistful yet intense. Perez’s production, evocative of Crystal Castles or Salem, never stops hitting hard. The highlights of “April Mixtape 3” are when the production and vocals meld into cohesive and unique sounds that no one is quite making right now.
The album’s opener, “Again,” and “Kinda like it that way” feel like hurricanes of sound. Oscillating synths sweep against the hard-hitting percussion. These songs are so dense musically; the bass, snares, and ghostly vocal-y synths appear left and right, waiting to be discovered on the third or fourth listen.
Snow Strippers have an invigorating uniqueness to them. Their nostalgic aura drags you in while the music keeps you listening. Songs like “Under a siege” and “Under your spell” are also examples of her entrancing vocals.
Snow Strippers are at the forefront of electronic and pop music. Their sounds and visual aesthetic are insanely distinct, it’s rare to find an up-and-coming act with this much distinct musical identity.
Luckily for Snow Strippers, their music can back up the branding. Consistently strong and hard-hitting songs that are awe-inspiring make “April Mixtape 3” a fascinating listen. This album makes me wish I was an indie sleaze hipster in New York at the peak of Snow Strippers-esque music. Unfortunately, I was five.
