Been Stellar has had a momentous few months for the group. At the start of 2024, they announced they were signing with Dirty Hit and commencing a European tour with labelmates, The 1975. Just two years ago, the band played homegrown venues around New York City and released a self-titled EP. The release served as a tribute to the city that accepted them while encapsulating the darkness and grime of its streets.
Been Stellar’s recently released album, ‘Scream From New York, NY’, explores new emotional landscapes, such as referencing grief-stricken love or highlighting the turmoil experienced in relationships where words often fall short. The band has created their most open and vulnerable work to date, allowing them to disclose an honest offering of their souls.
The album’s opening track, ‘Start Again’, sets the tone for the album with its forcing bassline by Nico Brunstein and Sam Slocum’s portrayal of downtown NYC’s inhabitants, describing a man who “drinks himself sick.” Lead single ‘Passing Judgement’ begins with a harsh guitar riff, bright tambourine, and a uniquely striking, deeply piercing vocal that enhances its roguish charm.
Tracks like ‘Sweet’, ‘Pumpkin’, and ‘Takedown’ are slower, more romantic tracks on the album. They offer varying perspectives on love and serve an important purpose by providing a compelling contrast to the band’s previous work. Guitarist Skyler Knapp stated that “Somewhere on this record, we realised that there’s a reason why love songs exist, and it’s because that’s the most powerful feeling there is,” emphasising the band’s reflection on emotional complexity and physical control in relationships.
With the numerous iconic names in NYC’s music scene, like Blondie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes or Television, every angle of the city’s remarkable guitar rock scene might seem exhausted. Still, unexpected gems do appear, like Been Stellar, who trades their title as one of NYC’s brightest new hopes and emerges as an essential New York institution
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