Biography

Shoestrings is Mario and Rose Suau. As teenagers growing up in a northern suburb of Detroit, the two played supporting roles in a mutual friend’s somber, 4AD-leaning band. A fervent interest in the sounds coming from Factory, Creation, and Sarah Records at that time, as well as sophisti-pop bands like The Blue Nile and Prefab Sprout, sparked the idea for a side-project. Shoestrings served as a counterpoint and the two set up a bedroom studio to record their heartfelt, memorable songs with layered guitars, simple synth elements, soft vocals, and thoughtful lyrics. Weekend and late-night recordings resulted in a 7” single, contributions to indie compilation albums, and a full-length debut album, Wishing On Planes on Le Grand Magistery (US) and Flavour of Sound (Japan). In the early 2000s, in an effort to evolve their sound, the pair shifted focus to progressing their engineering and production skills. By 2011, under the moniker Invisible Twin, they were able to put their new skills to the test by remixing tracks for Acid House Kings, Alpaca Sports, Red Sleeping Beauty, and Dylan Mondegreen. In 2015, longtime friend, Johan Angergård (Acid House Kings, Club 8), asked Rose to contribute lyrics and vocals for the synthpop project, Djustin. As soon as production of Djustin wrapped, Mario and Rose began writing the first new Shoestrings material in years. This current work reflects a matured aesthetic while continuing to pay homage to their adolescent influences.