Minor Stars is an indie psych rock band from Chapel Hill, NC. Strong songwriting meets heavy rhythms, fuzzed-out guitars and soaring vocals to create music that bristles with energy and refuses to stand still. From the ’70s rock swagger of Queen to the quiet intimacy of Elliot Smith, Minor Stars focuses these divergent rays and projects them with reverence for the heaviness of Black Sabbath. It’s stadium rock for introverts, a sound that has a “wonderful kind of brutality” (Scott Solter, producer, John Vanderslice, Mountain Goats, Superchunk).
Minor Stars is proud to announce the release of their hard-earned and long-awaited debut album The Death Of The Sun In The Silver Sea on Summer Secret Records. Mixed by Scott Solter and mastered by Dave Harris (Birds Of Avalon, Pattern Is Movement, The Rosebuds), it’s the culmination of over two years of effort. Guitarist/Vocalist Eric Wallen adds enough crackling fuzz to his guitars to make Hendrix and Homme proud, while drummer Iain Watt pounds with an urgent punk fervor, and Dustin Creider’s driving bass lines hold it all together and propel it forward. It’s a heady mix. “A collection of shoegaze and psychedelic rock, power pop and heavy metal, these deep riffs could have come from Black Sabbath, the fog above it from Swervedriver. The melodies boast hooks like Cheap Trick’s and a shot of the heavy electric blues, much like Queens of the Stone Age” (The Independent Weekly).
While Minor Stars loves to sink their teeth into a good heavy riff, it’s Wallen’s vocals and songwriting that take the music to another level. Full of defiant melancholy, his melodies and harmonies soar high above the grit of distorted guitars and the heaving energy of the rhythm section, creating an engaging and uniquely compelling sound. Sometimes dark, sometimes brazen, you can hear in Wallen’s voice the universal yearning for something more. On album closer Overdrive/In The Silver Sea he sings: There’s no way I will be / buried by this sea / My pedal’s on the floor / and you won’t see me anymore / How do you like me in overdrive? These words are thrown out into the void, expressing the yearning to live fully, the struggle to escape the mundane, the desire to suck the marrow out of life. With his guitar, his voice, and his songs, Wallen documents his drive to live full-throttle, always moving forward, never looking back or wallowing in despair. With the support of his band mates, he’s given us a record that rings of redemption.
Minor Stars will be touring extensively throughout 2011 in support of The Death Of The Sun In The Silver Sea. In addition to delivering high-energy live performances, the band will continue to engage fans with regular updates at www.minorstars.com, including album leaks, demos, blog posts and live videos. Minor Stars is dedicated to creating great rock music and committed to sharing it with the world.
DOWNLOAD BIO / ONE-SHEET: Hi-Res (1.2MB) | Low-Res (105K)
