Snow Strippers
Tatiana Schwaninger
Vocals
Graham Perez
Producer
Location: Detriot, Michigan, USA
Genre: Dance, EDM, Electroclash, Witch House
Years Active: 2021 -
Meaning of the Name: Taking your clothes off in the snow: inadvisable.
Way of Working: Vocalist and producer. Perez writes Schwaninger's melodies.
Essential Releases
Snow Strippers (2022)
Debut album. Seedy Elecroclash mixed with pulsating electro that evokes the sweat and spit of a nightclub.
April Mixtape 2 (2022)
Provides a soundtracks to the post-lockdown euphoria and impending doom of a generation trapped on the interent.
Formed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Snow Strippers make unapologetically sleazy EDM for the dancefloor. Releasing their debut album in 2022, as the restrictions were easing, the group captured the eager spirit of a youthful generation kept still for too long. Deprived of the formative experiences that were previously commonplace, they rushed outside to touch grass, connect with old friends, and make new ones on the hallowed grounds of the nightclub.
Such an environment was the perfect setting for Snow Strippers' combination of doe-eyed electroclash and growling sub-bass. The adrenaline rush of the production is contrasted by Tatiana Schwaninger's detached vocals that sound out of reach and disconnected, like trying to talk a person absorbed in their smartphone.
In addition to this subtle nod to modern life, Snow Strippers employ an aesthetic that feels reckless, even exploitative at times. Their music videos feature scantily clad models frolicking in hot tubs ('Just Your Doll') and are filmed like Instagram reels, which gives them an 'online' quality absent in more professional pieces. Furthermore, Schwaninger dances energetically in dilapidated locations ('Tragic Surprise') to create an eerie feeling of life in a lifeless place, forbidden but infectious, as if her trespassing is vital.
This deliberate embrace of the forbidden feels particularly poignant right now. During the pandemic, the internet became a crucial substitute for socialisation and physical life, inadvertently trapping a generation in a digital space where the basic human drive to be liked was weaponised by social media algorithms. This has shifted youth culture from natural rebellion toward digital conformity, where chasing trends often means aligning with the safest, most shareable consensus.
Snow Strippers’ content directly challenges this: they use the familiar, lo-fi aesthetic of the Instagram reel to deliver a subject matter (explicit hedonism and substance use) that is fundamentally unoptimised for the safety-focused, mass-market validation rewarded by algorithms.
They also feature imagery of exploitative sex (cash stuffed down a g-string) and recreational drug use that is cathartic but in opposition to current downward trends in US substance abuse rates. Other such debauchery includes pointing guns at the camera lens ('It's A Dream') and producer Graham Perez rarely missing an opportunity to flip the bird. It is essentially a 2020s update of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Simply replace rock 'n' roll with EDM and add a dash of crime for seasoning.
The end result of this combination of factors is, counterintuitively, refreshing. For members of earlier generations, hedonism, and the rites of passage included in its pursuit (first relationship, first sexual experience, first time drunkenly vomiting in your friend's kebab) were an expected part of youth.
The energy of youthful rebellion that pervades Snow Strippers' music feels so vital because it is! The errors we make in young adulthood are crucial for natural development. In dimly-lit nightclubs the events of previous evenings are quickly forgotten by intoxicated revellers, which is why it's borderline criminal that the numbers of such establishments are plummeting.
With their independent music, Snow Strippers refuse to allow modern youth culture to be one of drab conformity, and in doing so provide a crucial service for a generation of young people who could benefit from having a good night out.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
85
Mental Impact
40
Originality
70
Artistry
90
Authenticity
90
Live
70
Production
75
Musicianship
55
Singing
65
Songwriting
70
Danceability
90
Fun
85
Consistency
85
Range
40
Cool
90
Charisma
75
