
Been Stellar have developed an unrelentingly massive sound on their exhilarating debut LP, Scream From New York, NY. Firmly entrenched in the slick burliness and open vulnerability of alt rock traditions at their world-dominating 1990s peak, the album is accented with a distinctly angular New York perspective and a swaggering sense of Britpop's cinematic confidence. Pulling all these elements together, Scream From New York, NY has a timeless feeling that captivates immediately, cumulating into a thunderhead of stadium sized intimacy that crackles with an electric vibrance.
The majority of the album is possessed of a weighty, downbeat perspective that lends a significant heft to the compositions but never drags the overall attitude into the murkiness of despair. Instead the general sensation is that of anchored stability maintaining a sense of assured calm among even the most intense tempests the band whips up. Scream From New York, NY is resoundingly optimistic, bursting with a wonderous brilliance reminiscent of the summer sun setting amber and gold along the streets between glittering skyscrapers.
Guitars churn and chime in equal measure as percussion pounds at a measured but insistent cadence alongside larger than life basslines. Standout moments on The Strokes-channeling "All In One" and album closer "I Have The Answer" drive home the band's powerful alchemical combination of technical proficiency and emotional authenticity. The sound is just tremendous, full of overwhelming passion and elemental fury that moves with the gravitational weight of tides surging and receding against towering cliff sides.
Treating the microphone like a sidewalk soapbox, vocalist Sam Slocum rages against the machinations of an endlessly evolving environment like a streetwise poet unleashing provocative proclamations upon the passing public. The lyrics are efficient and effective, eschewing complex metaphor in favor of straightforward, textural prose that cuts and bludgeons and embraces with the beguiling nature of the City itself, a foil for the teeming humanity that exists among the concrete canyons and an enduring backdrop for Been Stellar's tales of resilience and perseverance.
Notably, the band never strays too far from their comfort zone across the album's tracklist. It's a strategic move that allows Been Stellar, as a unit, to lean heavily into their strengths without getting distracted by attempting to over exert themselves with unnecessary experimentation. Despite the undeniably strong alt rock perspective, Been Stellar flirts with adjacent styles at key moments, drawing in shades of dreamy shoegaze on the appropriately titled "Shimmer" and aggressive post-grunge riffs on "Can't Look Away" to great effect, keeping things fresh while staying focused on acing the task at hand.
Scream From New York, NY is a bittersweet symphony of anthemic proportions that sets Been Stellar up as the standard bearers for a new generation of alt rock demigods. It's the sound of the City itself. Massive, intimidating, and often downright terrifying, but teeming with the unquenchable hopes and dreams of its people all continually striving towards a brighter tomorrow.
Scream From New York, NY is available now. Stream the album on Spotify and follow Been Stellar on Instagram.
Upcoming Shows
JUL 26, 2024 - Tramlines Festival - Sheffield, UK - TICKETS
JUL 27, 2024 - Truck Festival - Steventon, UK - TICKETS
JUL 28, 2024 - Latitude Festival - Suffolk - TICKETS
AUG 1, 2024 - AUG 4, 2024 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL - TICKETS
SEP 20, 2024 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA - TICKETS
SEP 21, 2024 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR - TICKETS
SEP 22, 2024 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC - TICKETS
SEP 24, 2024 - The Warfield - San Francisco, CA - TICKETS
SEP 26, 2024 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA - TICKETS
SEP 27, 2024 - Soma - San Diego, CA - TICKETS
SEP 28, 2024 - Fox Theater Pomona - Pomona, CA - TICKETS
SEP 30, 2024 - The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ - TICKETS
OCT 2, 2024 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO - TICKETS
OCT 4, 2024 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS - TICKETS
OCT 5, 2024 - Slowdown - Omaha, NE - TICKETS
OCT 6, 2024 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI - TICKETS
OCT 8, 2024 - The Fillmore Minneapolis - Minneapolis, MN - TICKETS
OCT 9, 2024 - The Salt Shed - Chicago, IL - TICKETS
OCT 11, 2024 - Queen Elizabeth Theatre - Toronto, ON - TICKETS
OCT 12, 2024 - MTELUS - Montreal, QC - TICKETS
OCT 13, 2024 - Roadrunner - Boston, MA - TICKETS
OCT 15, 2024 - Brooklyn Paramount Theater - New York, NY - TICKETS
OCT 16, 2024 - Brooklyn Paramount Theater - New York, NY - TICKETS
OCT 18, 2024 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. - TICKETS
OCT 18, 2024 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. - TICKETS
OCT 20, 2024 - The Fillmore Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA - TICKETS
NOV 3, 2024 - Bitterzoet - Amsterdam, NH - TICKETS
NOV 4, 2024 - Blue Shell - Cologne, NRW - TICKETS
NOV 6, 2024 - Cassiopeia - Berlin, Germany - TICKETS
NOV 7, 2024 - Molotow Skybar - Hamburg, Hamburg - TICKETS
NOV 9, 2024 - Klub Hybrydy - Warsaw, Poland - TICKETS
NOV 10, 2024 - Café V lese - Prague, Prague - TICKETS
NOV 11, 2024 - Feierwerk Orangehouse - Munich, Germany - TICKETS
NOV 13, 2024 - Bellezza - Milan, Italy - TICKETS
NOV 14, 2024 - Exil - Zürich, Zurich - TICKETS
NOV 16, 2024 - Witloof Bar - Brussels, Belgium - TICKETS
NOV 17, 2024 - Point Ephemere - Paris, France - TICKETS
NOV 19, 2024 - The Fleece - Bristol, England - TICKETS
NOV 21, 2024 - Manchester Academy 3 - Manchester, United Kingdom - TICKETS
NOV 22, 2024 - King Tuts - Glasgow, UK - TICKETS
NOV 24, 2024 - The Cluny - Newcastle upon Tyne, England - TICKETS
NOV 25, 2024 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK - TICKETS
NOV 26, 2024 - The Bodega Social Club - Nottingham, England - TICKETS
NOV 28, 2024 - Scala - London, United Kingdom - TICKETS
NOV 30, 2024 - The Workman's Club - Dublin, County Dublin - TICKETS
DEC 1, 2024 - RóisÃn Dubh - Galway, County Galway - TICKETS
DEC 2, 2024 - Ulster Sports Club - Belfast, UK - TICKETS