Hot New Band: Owl City

Owl City

Since Owl City -- a.k.a. Adam Young -- began quietly writing and recording in his basement in Owatonna, Minnesota, back in 2007, his dreamy tunes have garnered millions of plays on his MySpace Music page.

He was one of our bands to watch at this past year's Sasquatch Festival, and his second album, Ocean Eyes (out September 1), is set to attract even more followers and break Young away from his self-described "shy guy" persona. Want proof? Check out our exclusive stream of Owl City's brand new song "Strawberry Avalanche" below!

Young recently spoke to SPIN.com about the lyrical inspiration for "Strawberry Avalanche":

"I spent last summer mountain climbing with a host family in Tibet and actually witnessed a live avalanche from across an immense ravine. Needless to say, it was both terrifying and awe inspiring. After returning home that night, I slouched on the couch and ate a bowl of Cheerios with fresh strawberries. I thought getting hit in the face by a huge strawberry avalanche would be the most romantic way to 'buy the farm.' And I'm the farthest thing from a farmer."

It's easy to fall in love with those sentiments -- as well as the tune's pulsing synthesizer riff and skittering drum samples, which draw from Young's disco dreams. "I listen to a lot of dance music from Europe and I really admire some of the great trance DJs and how they produce and mix music," he says. "I don't generally like big, deep snare samples or much reverb on drums, but this track really catered to that type of sound and mood."