BEEN STELLAR have shared a third track from their forthcoming debut Scream From New York, NY album out on 14 June via their new label Dirty Hit. White-knuckled and cutting, Sweet is a nihilistic anthem that builds from melancholic 90s dream pop to guttural, rough-hewn rock with the band’s frenetic, interlocking rhythms threatening to disintegrate at any moment.
“We were all intrigued by the simplicity of the verse, it felt like something we would usually shy away from,” shares vocalist Sam Slocum. “I really tried to let the music inform the lyrics and to not overthink what was coming from the song’s natural feeling. One of the first lines that came to me was “We’re speaking when we don’t know what to say”. I think in close relationships, the most pure moments shouldn’t need to be spoken about. And life in general, the things that matter the most and bring people together shouldn’t warrant many words, if any. Words complicate feelings sometimes.”
The new single follows February’s lead single Passing Judgment, a masterful deployment of unbearable pressure and violent relief, and March’s All In One, a ferocious late-album highlight that sees band member Laila Wayans’ powerful, tectonic drumming come to the fore.
Scream From New York, NY is a remarkably brutal debut – bruised and volatile, it captures an image of ‘20s New York that’s unrelenting and harsh, where tenderness is a finite resource burned up by the machinery of the city and human connection is a luxury product. Leaving behind the driving shoegaze of their early recordings, the NYC-based five piece tap into the disaffected sound and spirit of New York luminaries such as Sonic Youth and Interpol, and the nihilistic, yearning cool of Iceage and Bends-era Radiohead, striking upon a sound that’s fearsome, buffeting and beautiful at the same time. A tidal wave as viewed from beneath. Preorder the album on vinyl, CD and cassette from Dirty Hit HERE
Been Stellar recently supported The 1975 on a major European tour and will return to the UK and the EU throughout the summer before heading back to the States for their Lollapalooza debut.
MAY
Wed 15 SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Thu 16 BRIGHTON The Great Escape Festival
Sat 18 AMSTERDAM London Calling
Mon 20 BRISTOL Louisiana
Wed 22 MANCHESTER Yes (Basement)
Thu 23 LONDON The Lexington
JULY
Fri 26 SHEFFIELD Tramlines Festival
Sat 27 OXFORD Truck Festival
Sun 28 SUFFOLK Latitude Festival
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