Starcrawler Release Their Self-Titled, Debut Record

By: Sun N.

The Los Angeles- based rock band, Starcrawler are undoubtedly one of my favourite discoveries of last year. On Friday January 19th the foursome released their debut self-titled album through Rough Trade Records. The album was also recorded with musician, Ryan Adams. Starcrawler took off a little over a year ago when lead singer Arrow de Wilde met guitarist Henri Cash who also sings on the album at school. The pair were then joined by bassist Tim Franco and drummer Austin Smith. In an interview, de Wilde states that the band all bonded over their appreciation for rock music and wrote their first singles “Ants” merely a few days after jamming together. Throughout the previous year, the band has toured with several artists including The Lemon Twigs, CRX and The Black Lips. They were even given a slot at Foo Fighters’ curated festival, Cal Jam in San Bernardino California this fall.

The band is comprised of a group of friends who bond over their love for rock and roll and enjoy making music they appreciate, instead of focusing on particular styles or genres. Starcrawler’s sound contains influences from grunge, punk and rock music. In fact, de Wilde lists Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop as some of her influences. Either way, the band radiates energy and De Wilde’s stage presence is undoubtedly one of the most notable aspects of their live performances. Her crazy yet eye-catching costumes really compliment her bubbly dance moves. Interestingly, the use of fake blood often plays a role in their gigs which definitely throws audience members off for the most part, especially if they are unfamiliar with the band. Nonetheless, this solely serves the purpose of entertaining the crowd, even though most bands hardly engage in absurd acts meant for shocking people. The liveliness of these high-spirited musicians that is quite captivating. You are definitely in for a hell of a good time if you ever catch one of their shows!

My favourite tracks of the record are “Train” “Different Angles” and “Let Her Be” which consists of gritty riffs. “Different Angles” start off with prominent drums then bass which build up to this loud and distorted riff. Evidently the last track “What I Want” is slower paced that contains bluesy riffs and speaks about individuality which is refreshing. Not identifying with or falling into society’s conventional norms appears to be an idea that the foursome value as a band which can very much be identified within their art.

Catch Starcrawler on tour  in the East Coast this Winter, click here to view the dates and purchase tickets.

Click here to download or stream Starcrawler.