Gab Strum was 15 years old and on a tediously long family vacation with nothing to do but listen to Tycho and The Postal Service, when he opened his iPad and discovered Garageband and began building loops and messing with different sounds, creating music under the moniker, Japanese Wallpaper. When he was back from his holiday, he threw a song up on Triple J’s Unearthed website and Gab took home the top prize in the coveted “Unearthed High” competition, and was propelled into the spotlight.
His debut EP has since gone on to garner 20 million streams and found fans in Charli XCX, Flume, Gotye, Lily Allen, Chet Faker and Bombay Bicycle Club. His song, “Breathe In” was personally selected by Zach Braff to feature alongside indie luminaries like Bon Iver, The Shins and Cat Power in his highly acclaimed filmed and soundtrack Wish I Was Here, with his other tracks finding their way into scenes of shows like Offspring (Netflix), Catfish: The TV Show (MTV), Awkward (MTV), Made In Chelsea (E4) and Scream: The TV Series (MTV). He’s also garnered attention from NME, i-D Vice, HillyDilly, Indie Shuffle, EARMILK, Hype Machine and more.
Now 21 years old, the Melbourne based artist returns with, “Fooling Around” a hopeful track with a dizzying spell of synths and saccharine melodies, with textures of electronica layered over a lyrical narrative that sees Gab sing of self-confidence. The song is a call to arms to anyone who has ever felt the need to assert themselves, and the forthcoming record is a further exploration of that theme, with an introspective look into Gab’s own journey of identity. “It’s about me finding my place, and figuring out who I am and what I want to do, and how that functions in the world.
