Out now on Rum Bar Records is the self-titled debut album from Stars Like Ours — a CD compilation of three digital EPs released from 2015 to 2018. Hearing this release, I'm a little sad that I'm so late in discovering Stars Like Ours. But I've definitely been making up for lost time; this CD has been living in my car player for the past month! This album and this band take me back to those days in the early '90s when indie/alternative rock ruled. Remember a time when you could tune into a college radio station and hear Sugar, Superchunk, The Breeders, and Dinosaur Jr. in the same block? You could seamlessly slot any of these nine tracks into the same block.
When the Stars Like Ours disc first arrived on my doorstep, I was excited by the band personnel. Michelle Paulhus (The Decals, The Dents, etc.) is on bass and lead vocals. Kristin Holliday (DRAGO, The Downhauls, etc.) is on guitar. Eric "Rice" Edmonston (Darkbuster, Abbie Barrett Band, etc.) is on drums. That's a powerhouse lineup, and I would have been happy to hear this trio tackle any genre of music. But Stars Like Ours really hits a sweet spot for me with its loud, hooky old school indie rock sound. They are doing their own version of a musical aesthetic that was my gateway to the underground three decades ago. Although the influences are obvious, the band manages to update them for modern times. In a completely unpretentious way, this band simply oozes cool. Holliday nails that crunching guitar sound, and Edmonston is an absolute monster on drums. There's also a rule in music that if Michelle Paulhus is writing and singing songs, those are tunes you need to own. In fact, this is as good of an album as she's ever put her name on. And, yes, I know that's saying something. Given that this disc was culled from three separate releases, it's not surprising that the song quality is so exceptional. I keep listening through to try and identify individual tracks that stand out, but every song sounds like a hit to my ears! And yet when you put all this material together, it still flows like a singular album (I didn't even realize it was a compilation until I'd heard it several times!). Without trying to relive the '90s, Stars Like Ours remind us why we loved that music so much. The songs, playing, production, and (of course) vocals are absolutely top-shelf.
Stars Like Ours — a contemporary band reminiscent of a moment when Boston was the center of the indie rock universe — is the perfect addition to Rum Bar Records' growing stable of extraordinary hometown talent. If you like buzzing indie rock with a strong pop sensibility, you too may find yourself wondering where this band has been all your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment