New York’s rising indie rockers Been Stellar offer a glimpse into their forthcoming debut album ‘Scream From New York, NY’ with the release of their latest single “All In One.”
Following last month’s lead single “Passing Judgement,” “All In One” dives deeper, exploring themes of existential uncertainty and the drudgery of daily life. The track unfolds with a subdued, introspective feel, frontman Sam Slocum’s vocals capturing a hard-hitting truth: “I know/ And you know/ That we’re built to last/ Not to grow.”
“‘All In One’ is in many ways the heart of the album,” the band explains. “The lyrics grapple with the mundane tasks we all face, and how they connect to finding meaning in our lives. Living in a condensed city like New York, it feels like you’re trapped in a box – the video reflects that claustrophobia and the resulting madness.”
The song marks a turning point for Been Stellar, both thematically and sonically. “‘All In One’ feels like the culmination of everything we’ve been working towards musically,” they say. “It ties together the themes of solipsism and existentialism we explored on our EP, and the music feels like a creative conclusion for us.”
‘Scream From New York, NY’ is slated for a June 14 release via Dirty Hit. Described as capturing “an image of ’20s New York that’s unrelenting and harsh,” the album promises a departure from the band’s earlier shoegaze influences, drawing inspiration from the “disaffected sound and spirit of New York luminaries like Sonic Youth and Interpol.”
Been Stellar has been discussing their upcoming debut and artistic influences. “Your influences are part of who you are,” says Slocum. “You can’t escape them, but we mainly focus on writing music we’d genuinely enjoy listening to ourselves.”
“It’s easy to fall into those influences,” adds guitarist Nicholas Brunstein, “but we try to block out the noise and ask ourselves what truly excites us.”
Been Stellar recently wrapped up a European tour supporting The 1975, and will hit the road again on May 4th, kicking things off at Shaky Knees Festival before a UK run and a return to the States for Lollapalooza.