praise + interviews
“[J]ust the right level of pop addiction is balanced with just enough rock swagger ... Throw in a touch of Americana and a few more funky vibes, and you have the sonic fingerprint for her debut album, Golden Girl ... [T]wo things are obvious. Firstly, this album explores the various aspects of love, loss, longing, and life itself. Secondly, Mary Strand has, even on her first long player, reserved herself a seat at the ‘ones to watch’ table.”
- Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
“A generous dip into 60s pop female vocalists opens Mary Strand's first album with 'Alexa Please,' & continues with a punky-garage band guitar on 'Different Kind of World.' ... A variety of styles crop up in the showcase, the Lesley Gore assertions, the Dixie Cups, the Angels, the Crystals, Reparata & the Del-Rons ... with a potent dose of Shangri-Las’ Mary Weiss’ tough girl vocalese (‘Leader of the Pack’). This music was quite cool in the early 60s driving female rock spirit. Since it hasn't been heard in a fresh showcase for decades, it’s a welcome sound.”
- John Apice, Americana Highways
"The debut album from the singer, vocalist, songwriter and author Mary Strand, these 10 songs touch on pop and rock ideas, and welcome some excellent guest musicians from the vibrant Minneapolis scene. 'Alexa Please' gets the listen off to an energetic start, where Jack Strand's crisp drums, lively guitar and Strand's raw yet tuneful voice make for a crunchy rocker, and 'Different Kind of World' follows with Mark Wade's skilled bass and the gritty garage rock nods that won't go unappreciated. ... while the warm 'The Me I Need To Be' carries a bit of punky spirit in the harmonic album highlight. 'Stay for Breakfast' ... showcases Ryan Smith's fluid piano playing in the mature versus adventurous song craft. ... All the songs here surround the theme of love, and Strand's influences from The Muffs, Ramones and The Beach Boys won't be hard to miss across this infectious and excellent first record."
- Take Effect
"Mary Strand started as a lawyer who wanted to be a writer, became a fiction writer who then apparently wanted to become a rock star, and now is on her way to becoming that too. Golden Girl is her debut album, yet feels like the work of an experienced rocker. ... Clearly Mary Strand can do whatever she sets her mind to (which, honestly, is a bit irritating to those of us who are still trying to get our first novel published)."
- Michael Doherty's Music Log
"Mary Strand is a best-selling author – and former corporate lawyer from the Twin Cities – who has now switched her attention to music. Golden Girl is her debut album and that's a very good description for a woman with a genuine talent for writing and performing clever pop-rock songs: the opener, 'Alexa Please,' is a perfect example."
- RnR Magazine, UK
"The poppy opening track ‘Alexa Please’ seems to have its origins in the 'golden sixties' period and immediately brings us to a solid guitar rocker in the 'Blondie'-esque song ‘Different Kind Of World,’ just like the album title track ‘Golden Girl.’ The catchy ballad ‘Kiss Me At Midnight’ sounds very sweet and ‘The Me I Need To Be,’ sounding like something from the girl group The Go-Go's, is ripe enough to become a radio hit in our opinion. Undoubtedly also striking is the danceable swing song ‘Acabé,’ sung entirely in Spanish."
- Rootstime (Belgium/Netherlands, translated from Dutch)
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Interview (and a live song) with Ryan Smith and me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYCP_eMsntg
- Sarah Morris’s Toilet Tunes
Interview (and featured on the cover): https://www.makingascene.org/mary-strand-is-making-a-scene/
- Making a Scene Magazine
- Mostly Minnesota
Interview: https://ventsmagazine.com/2023/11/19/interview-mary-strand/
- Vents Magazine