Veteran indie rockers and shoegazing songsmiths Starflyer 59 return this June with new album Slow, their 14th full-length record and first in over three years.
Last week saw the debut of lead single "Wrongtime," a crystalline, uptempo dirge fitting for the bulk of singer-songwriter Jason Martin's post-millennium oeuvre.
Recently reunited with longtime label Tooth & Nail Records, Slow will be the first Starflyer LP for the outfit since 2010's The Changing of the Guard. The band issued their sole self-released (and Kickstarter-funded) album, IAMACEO, in early 2013.
Brandon Ebel, Tooth & Nail founder and longstanding advocate for Starflyer's durable brand of sullen indie rock, spoke of the recent reconciliation:
"I'm honored to be working with Jason again, not only because Jason is one of my best friends, but because Starflyer is easily one of my all-time favorite bands. I truly believe they're one of the most compelling and under-appreciated artists in music."
Starflyer 59 emerged from Southern California in 1993. One of Tooth & Nail Records' first-ever signings, the artist and label grew together as the band evolved from sludgy, feedback-laden alternative rock to dreamy, keyboard-infused indie pop.
For the last decade or more, Starflyer's sound has maintained a relatively steady aesthetic of Martin's robust vocals and layers of shimmering guitar atop the metronomic drive of drummer Trey Many and springy substratum of bassist Steven Dail. Multi-instrumentalist TW Walsh often rounds out the compositions.
Cataloging his life in song since the early '90s, Martin has developed a characteristic compositional style as his output gradually matured from grungy postadolescent break-up songs to austere meditations on love, loss and rising costs:
"It's just different," explains Martin. "The lyrics of this record are more of a reflection on being a middle-aged adult instead of a 20-year-old kid talking about a girl he likes."
The forthcoming release of Slow is preceded by one-off single "Like a Baby," premiered by Midwestern indie label Flannelgraph Records last October.
Slow features eight songs and will be released June 17 on CD, digital and vinyl LP.
Listen to "Wrongtime" below.
