Starlight Girls are a delight. The four-piece band cranks out jams that include some gloom, some 80′s crusin’ rhythm, and even the occasional flute solo. These seemingly unrelated pieces come together quite well for the band. Originally from Brooklyn, they are currently heading west on a nationwide tour. Here are my two favorite tracks off their BandCamp and a brief interview with the band.
Review
“Gossip”
The song starts with an organ piece straight outta the ballpark, before it goes straight into a groovy funk 80′s costume party groove. To be honest it reminded me of that Werewolf Bar Mitzvah song from 30 Rock, but that’s really a good thing. There isn’t enough of this out there. Wispy atmospheric vocals and the snappy guitar on the offbeat make this quite the toe tapper. This is descriptive music. Within seconds you’ll be thinking of Scooby Doo, or costume parties, or Studio 54, or acid, or anything strange or freaky you can think of. But at the same time. It’s cute.
“The Hunch”
The spookiness continues. A funky break beat and some stuttering guitar accompany the piano on this one in addition to the usual airy spooky vocals. It slowly sort of meanders until finally, boom! The cymbals crash and the guitar drives and the piano booms.
Interview
How did you form?
We formed about a year ago. Shaw and Karys went to elementary school together and reconnected in New York when they were older. I met Shaw while I was looking for people to work with randomly. Tyson—our bassist—we just started working with a few months ago.
Did you write collectively or individually?
Well, I had a solo project, Christina B, for a while and then I met Shaw and Karys and we started working together. It was surprising and it seemed pretty organic. It’s been my material so far, but we’ve started collaborating and working on material together too.
How do you feel about touring?
It’s an intense experience. Every tour is different. We have been on tour six days so far. This is our second tour and it’s very different than the first one. I think you just have to feel it out. It’s hard to say what this tour is like or is going to be like. We have had some interesting experiences so far, we had a lot of fun on New Years.
Do DIY ethics have a role in your music?
Everybody is DIY in the beginning. It’s all been fairly collaborative. We work with people we are friends with usually. Shaw puts on shows at his place and has a DIY scene going there. Those are the funnest places for us to play, I think. Those are the people that are most receptive and fun to talk to about music.
Are you working on a full album?
Yes. Definitely. It’s looking like April. After that we are working on an A-side-B-side with Xiu Xiu, Jamie Stewart. Then hopefully we will be releasing the LP sometime soon.
Where did the name come from?
It’s kind of a cheesy pop culture reference. It’s from the show Jem. It just popped into my head one time and I knew it was perfect. I think we watched too much Jem.
