The debut album from Been Stellar of New York is a swirling pressure pot of post-punk and shoe-gaze, no surprise with producer Dan Carey who has previously worked with Fontaines D.C. and black midi. Kicking off the track list is ‘Start Again’, introducing us to the enthralling drumbeat which continues through the entire release, reminding me of late 90s Radiohead and enticing me to listen further.
‘Passing Judgement’ is aggressive and the repetition of the chorus;
“Passing Judgement without home”,
leads us into the building mania conveyed in the name of the album, accompanied by that initial nosedive of guitar bass, into near silence.
Sam Slocum’s (singer) voice is ever reminiscent of that of Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame – even closer to the mark in a track which may be a reference to this ‘Pumpkin’. This track chronicles a dormant relationship.
“We’re killing time,
I know what it’s like
It doesn’t matter who it’s up to now
In and out, our ordinary house”
Neither party wants to be the one to end it, but there’s a kind of comfort in being stuck in the cycle of the relationship, neither of them living but merely existing in each other’s company which complies with the more subdued, shoegaze-y tone of the track.
The namesake of the album ‘Scream from New York, NY’, is another track which stays in the more toned-down, dreamy lane. Slocum’s echoed vocals create a sonic dreamscape which builds up with pressure like many of the other tracks on this album. The reverbed guitar and bass are reminiscent of previous work from the band but show further maturity diversifying out of that classic New York grunge sound.
‘Sweet’ is a stand-out track for me, it’s been on repeat both in my head and through my headphones since its release in April. Laila Wayans’s synoptic, encompassing drums display not only her raw talent but like the other components of the quintet the synergy of their friendship makes each track on this album a success in my eyes and ears. It reminds me of tracks such as ‘ A Thousand Lives’, and ‘Crying’, from The Murder Capital’s most recent album ‘Gigi’s Recovery’
‘All In One’, again reminds me of that Radiohead sound emulated through the rapid drumbeat and the opening chords. It sounds a bit like ‘Weird Fishes / Arpeggi’ but just for a second – not quite a scream from the band but a swift nod perhaps at who influenced their sound.
“My mouth is crooked, It’s bending more”
Slocum’s lyricism is thematic to the bitter-sweet, which compliments the band’s sound and provides echoes of the past grunge movements the band made while staying ever present to the newer post-punk energy.
Been Stellar are the epitome of that fabled New York Scene, growing up from the roots of bands gone by and blossoming into their own visceral sonic beauty.
