Stars

“Beautiful, bittersweet and inevitably brilliant” - Music OHM, 4/5

"Stars' endlessly detailed arrangements are as impressive as ever, and become more powerful in the context of these highly reflective songs. Stars fearlessly investigate difficult feelings on From Capelton Hill, and capture a complex beauty in the process."

- AllMusic, 4/5

“Propelled by an epic chorus, (‘Capelton Hill’) encapsulates the themes of nostalgia and loss at the heart of the record… It's the closest Stars have come yet to recapturing the magic of their 2004 anthem ‘Your Ex-Lover Is Dead,’ thanks in large part to the brilliant duet between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, who remain a shining presence throughout.” - Exclaim!, 8/10

Montreal’s Stars today released From Capelton Hill—their ninth album and the first new music from the group in five years—via Last Gang Records/MNRK to early acclaim via glowing reviews at Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim!, Music OHM, Record Collector (4/5), Spectral Nights, and more; listen HERE. The band will celebrate with 'Live From Capelton Hill,' an intimate release day livestream during which they'll perform these new songs from one of their most beloved spaces in North Hatley, Quebec. Tune-in via Bandcamp Live tonight at 5pm ET; tickets are available HERE. Stars will continue virtual festivities on May 31st, beginning with a full album playback via Tim Burgess’ Listening Party series at 1pm ET, followed by a Reddit AMA at Indieheads at 2pm ET. The band will embark on a headlining West Coast tour on June 4th in Vancouver, BC leading up to their two release shows at LA's The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on June 13th and 14th (see full tour schedule below).

This week, Stars were musical guests on WNYC’s Soundcheck podcast, playing full-band versions of new songs (and sharing a new live video for “Build A Fire”), while various members shared the influences that inspired From Capelton Hill via a Brooklyn Vegan feature. Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell are also today’s musical guests on CBC Radio 1's q with Tom Power to discuss the new LP, following other new podcast interviews via Joe Plummer’s Tour Stories, Ears to Feed’s In Conversation, and Comedy Bang Bang. The album’s five pre-release singles, “Build A Fire,” “Patterns,” “Pretenders,” “Capelton Hill” (plus live performance video), and “Snowy Owl,” have been released to praise and support from the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim!, Under The Radar, and more. 

Musically, From Capelton Hill feels like walking into their familiar teenage bedroom. Campbell says it cuts to the band’s founding principles: it is brimming with gothic, dazzling ‘80s and ‘90s Britpop arrangements, but rendered with intimacy and warmth rather than with cold, digital remove. A wealth of horn and string arrangements unfold across the record in true Stars fashion, dreamy and macabre. From Capelton Hill is ultimately about a group of people who have spent more than 20 years together, and who have now started to face the awful, necessary calculus each human eventually must do: when will all of this end?