Are We Hunting is the moniker of Northern California-based songwriter, Ryan Ayala. While his intensely personal songwriting can be described as melancholic, the sound is both cinematic and anthemic. Perhaps the most alluring aspect of Are We Hunting is their rare ability to craft narrative-driven music that is still rooted in hooks and melody.
There’s a rich tonal quality that exists on Are We Hunting’s new single “Strawberry Beach” that can be hard to describe. With a rare amongst indie band’s warmth and distinction, the song is pulled along equally by all of its parts equally. The rhythmic intuition of the drummer’s snare playing alone is expressive enough to keep your attention as a lightly crunched guitar keeps things moving harmonically and the violin remains on the outskirts creating texture for Ayala’s scratchy baritone vocals. The whole production is very unpretentious, allowing all the beauty of its layers to shine through.
“The song was written in a little Italian beach town called Framura. I was watching kids jump off rocks into the ocean. They were so free and happy. That brought me back to being little and going to the beach with my dad and brother in Santa Barbara. It was bittersweet because now they’re both homeless alcoholics,” says Ayala.
