Portland, OR – Charles and Kaylie Caswell – the pear behind the Portland, Oregon-based outfit Berried Alive – have donut again, releasing “Poisonberry,” a track that touches on the weight taken on when shouldering the pain and personal struggles of someone we love. Focused on the concept of “caring versus carrying,” the new track identifies the necessity of healthy boundaries that prevent compassion fatigue. “Poisonberry” is streaming now on all digital platforms.
“Poisonberry” is the 4th single taken from their forthcoming 15-song full-length, an album that pushes the boundaries of Berried Alive, both sonically and emotionally. “These songs represent a lot of different styles and genres of music,” the band admits, addressing the explosion of sound found on the new record. “We personally listen to a lot of different styles of music, and we like different things about each style, so we’ve incorporated some elements of our favorite styles into one sound.”
The results have been egg-splosive. CLASH kicked off the year, highlighting the band’s ability to blur the limes of genre using the lead single, “Sit There Like A Lemon,” stating it “melds together EDM, rock, metal, and vivid pop textures.” Highlighting the band’s hope of normalizing difficult conversations by tackling the complexities of mental health, Wonderland confessed that the dark and triumphant track “Pearanoid,” the second released from the forthcoming LP, proves that “there is no darkness which Berried Alive cannot overcome.” Prior to “Poisonberry,” the single “Melon-Choly‘” used introspective lyrics to tell the story from the perspective of an imaginary rockstar and zooms in on the grueling life of spending extended periods away from home and the emotional toll of surviving another grinding tour.
“Poisonberry” reinforces the recurring theme of the record – that nothing is im-popsicle if you refuse to cake your eye off the prize. You shrimply have to do whatever it takes to overcome the obstacles that may be in front of you. Like the previous three singles, it spotlights elements of depression, loneliness, anxiety, paranoia, and other symptoms that many people suffer through frequently. These themes mirror the experiences Charles and Kaylie encountered during their engagement and first year of their marriage. Craving a butter life for themselves, the couple refused to cave to the pear pressure to follow the standard industry blueprint. Ditching studio time and traditional tour routings, the duo decided to relish their time together.
Taking matters into their own hands has been the best path for Berried Alive to dill with the workload that comes with being a creator. The results have been considerable. As Charles writes, produces, mixes, and masters the outfit’s music, which has gathered nearly 50-melon streams globally, and spawned five studio albums featuring 30 pun-based singles, some of which have caught the attention of Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Kaylie contributes lyrics and the occasional basslines, while creating and designing the band’s clothing brand and streetwear line, which was recently spotlighted by Lil’ Pump, who supported the Pearasite Collection. Their unique line includes wearable art like bomber jackets, a varsity jacket style sweater, sneakers, joggers, and hoodies, which all feature the band’s adorable strawberry and crossbones logo.
Like their music, which they’ve created with the intention of helping people feel connected and less alone in the world, they hope that by creating in a way that is accessible and impactful for the everyday person, they can provide some encourage-mint to help people choose to juice be themselves.
“Poisonberry” is now available to stream on all digital platforms. To keep up with the latest music from Berried Alive, follow them on Instagram @berriedaliveofficial and visit BerriedAliveOfficial.com.
