Browsing Tag

Stella.

Indie pop’s most endearingly ruthless renegade, Stella., struck again with his latest earworm, Friendly Reminder

Posted on 1 October 2024

Stella. reached his subversive zenith with his latest alt-indie pop earworm, Friendly Reminder, which is anything but what it says on the tin. The neon-lit synth lines may deliver nothing but pure euphoria, but the lyrics, as they pour from the singer-songwriter’s euphonic vocal register, reach the epitome of ruthlessness to remedy anyone who still carries contempt for their toxic exes.

The sticky-sweet synth-pop hooks and Stella.’s organically seraphic harmonies honey the cathartically cut-throat lyrics, making you almost second guess the reprises given the juxtaposition between the butter-wouldn’t-melt textures and the vindicating attestations to how healing doesn’t always need to lead to wishing the best for someone who deserves to discover that karma is an even bigger bitch than they are.

If you constantly find yourself tied to trauma bonds, follow Stella. like your life depends on it; he’s a rare artist that can cut through the static of superficial pop, hit close to the bone and deliver anthems that are as infectious as they are empowering.

As an ingenious way of supporting his new release, the NYC singer-songwriter developed his own dating app; swipe your way into your next clusterfuck situationship here.

Friendly Reminder was officially released on September 27; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Follow Stella. on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stella. paid ode to the intricacies of love and loss with his A Study in Balance EP

Posted on 25 June 2024

After hearing the title single from Stella.’s 6-track EP, A Study in Balance, the proverbial bar couldn’t have been set higher. The reflectively visionary composition style established the NYC-born-and-raised singer-songwriter as an artist who lures you into philosophical inquiry while conjuring imagination-sparking imagery with tenderly meditative poetry that could only have been prised from a soul of gold.

The opening single, Dreaming, in which he shares imposter syndrome with God before blurring the lines between mind cinema and reality, is a prime example of his eloquently originated wordplay. Immersing yourself in Stella.’s world is akin to sinking into a Murakami novel; there’s so much written between the lines, you’re submerged in a labyrinth of meta musings,

After opening on an exuberant note with Dreaming where Stella. wears his Paolo Nutini influence on his infectious hooks, the EP takes a more intimate and confessional turn with Something About You, as he softly verses directly to the unspoken name ceaselessly reverberating around his mind. With little more than reverb spilling from keys under his honeyed and honed vocals, the stripped-back rumination efficaciously captures the torment of self-doubt within relationships.

A Study in Balance lifts the mood once more before the EP winds back down with Not Today; a raw nerve rousing release that reaches the epitome of vulnerable candour. Maladies of heartache are laid out as a smorgasbord of emotional atrophy over the downtempo 80s pop chord progressions. Cohen himself couldn’t have written a more striking testament to how much sanctity lies in love.

The only people who won’t find something to adore about Broken Hearts are the ones who paint themselves as perpetual victims. The euphonic score forces you to take accountability for the hurt you’ve inflicted in relationships while swallowing the bitter pill that broken hearts can’t love the same as naively unaffected lovers who show no inhibition when letting down their defences. The EP culminates in Everything, a solemnly sweet vow of unrestrained passion to juxtapose Broken Hearts and give diehard romantics a reason to fall on their sword again.

Capturing the intricate complexities of love, loss and longing within six singles would be an impossible feat for most, and still, Stella. succeeded through a synthesis of sincerity and articulately offbeat artistry. Even though we’re in an epoch in which the most vapid music rises to the top of the charts, Stella. remains one of the most promising indie artists of 2024.

A Study in Balance was officially released on June 14; stream it in full on Spotify.

Follow Stella. on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

stella. playfully broached the implausibility of equanimity in love with the twee maturity in ‘A Study in Balance’

Posted on 19 May 2024

If you prefer your indie pop sans filters, facades and pretension, the latest convivial offering from stella.’s upcoming EP, A Study in Balance, raises the bar for confessional candour and introspective expression.

The title single from the breakthrough NYC indie pop artist comes alive through innocently playful piano chord progressions and vocal harmonies which soften the blow of the lyricism which holds no prisoners when confronting the most conflicting aspects of relationship dynamics. By finding an affable way to allude to the implausibility of equanimity within a relationship when too much is never enough until it tips the balance in the other way, stella. released one of the most relatable singles of the year.

Somewhat ironically, the symmetry between twee tendencies and songwriting sophistication within A Study in Balance was right on point; we already can’t wait to hear the lyrical wisdom bestowed within the singles that are still to drop from stella.’s sophomore EP.

A Study in Balance was officially released on May 3^rd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast