Austin-based shoegazers DAIISTAR (pronounced Day-Star) — Alex Capistran (vocals, guitar), Nick Cornetti (drums), Misti Hamrick (bass) and Derek Strahan (keys) — formed back in 2020. And since their formation, the members of DAIISTAR have crafted a narcotic blend of noise and melody that draws from the neo-psychedelic era of the 80s and 90s and modernizes it with modulating synths, heavy guitars, bouncing bass lines and spiraling hooks.
The Austin shoegeazer outfit’s Alex Maas-produced full-length debut, Good Time saw its release yesterday through Fuzz Club, revered British-based purveyors of all things psych. (You can purchase the vinyl here. LEVITATION is also offering their own colored vinyl variant, which is available here.)
“To us these songs were a glimmer of light,” the band’s Alex Capistran says. “Starting a band at the peak of the pandemic to some might seem ill timed, but to us it was a way to escape for a moment. There was something to look forward to and we kept our heads in the future. These songs guided us through some dark times and hopefully they can do the same for you. GOOD TIME is here!“
“Parallel,” Good Time‘s latest single sees the band pairing fluttering synths, buzzing power chords, dreamy falsetto vocals in a way that will bring The Jesus and Mary Chain and more modern fare like Crocodiles and others to mind. But underneath that is a remarkable attention to craft with the band revealing their penchant for catchy hooks.
“Sometimes I’ll be working on a song for weeks, other times I pick up the guitar and write nothing, but the songs that seem to emerge out of thin air always end up being my favorite,” Capistran says. “‘Parallel’ came to me instantly and has become one of the tracks I feel most connected to on the album. It’s a love song contrasted with fuzzed out guitar and driving rhythm. It’s about those days we find ourselves gliding effortlessly through time as two lives in unison and we can’t help but think ‘how is this real.'”
Directed by the band, the accompanying video is indebted to classic 120 Minutes MTV-era visuals: The band performing in a studio with fittingly psychedelic visuals behind them.
The band will be embarking on a handful of tour dates across the Southwest and West Coast. Check out the tour dates below.
TOUR DATES
Sep 23 Austin, TX – Hotel Vegas (Album Release Show)***
Sep 24 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger (Album Release Show)***
Oct 6 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater*
Oct 7 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole*
Oct 8 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s*
Oct 9 San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park*
Oct 10 Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether (Daze In The City)*
Oct 11 Pomona, CA – The Glass House (Daze In The City)*
Oct 12 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room (Daze In The City)**
Oct 13 Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether (Daze In The City)**
Nov 3 & 4 – Seattle, WA – Seattle Freakout Fest
* = w/ The Black Angels and The Dandy Warhols
** = w/ Ulrika Spacek and Holy Wave
*** = w/ Night Beats
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