Desert Stars is an indie outfit outta Brooklyn. Hey! Wait, before you roll your eyes, and groan, “Another?!” just remember that we only bring you the best here at the Song of the Day (if we do say so ourselves). So just sit back, relax, and forget about Williamsburg hipsters for a moment while we let you in on a pretty cool dream-pop band.
The quintet’s singer and leader is classically trained violinist Janelle Best. Five years ago, Best visited some friends out in California. Like any artistically minded young Brooklynite, she made a side trip to Joshua Tree, and, well, the whole Desert Stars name sort of wrote itself. The band took a while to get anything on wax, but that might owe a little bit to a rather fluid lineup. Early last year, they released a split-A-side single “Boys I Like/Farewell Decade,” to warm notes from the hip blognoscenti.
Now (well, now as in July 16) they’re out with a full-length debut called Habit Shackles. One of the tracks from the new record has already made it out into the world. It’s a lovely little number called “With The Bears.” The backbeat is pure, classic pop, but the far-off, reverb-drenched production and yearning vocals are plenty 2013. The song climaxes near the end care of some nice work from the rhythm section. It’s a tune that’ll make you forget about downtown hipsters for a second, so you can look up to the wide-open desert sky.
