Starflake

Austin's Starflake is a psychedelic dance experience founded by singer, songwriter, bassist, and producer Jackie O'Brien of The Bright Light Social Hour. The sound lives where high-energy Austin psych rock, sensual Latin avant-pop, and funky New Orleans breakbeats collide – raw, sweaty, built for surrender. Starflake has exploded into a collaborative collage, weaving the compositions of multi-instrumentalist and producer Ben Nelson, the electronic production of synth guru Alex Holeman, and the feral grooves of TBLSH drummers Zac Catanzaro and Juan Alfredo Ríos.

Their self-titled debut album is out now via Escondido Sound: 10 tracks swinging from euphoric highs to introspective confession, mostly cut in one weekend in one or two takes, with many of the lyrics pulled from Jackie's journals and melodies improvised on the spot. "The band is the result of a confluence of super talented people mixing it up, working passionately on their craft, refusing to stay in some designated lane... their music is experimental, tip-toeing along the edge of avant-garde, infusing elements of jazz, funk and Latin pop," writes Cosmic Clash.

Highlights include "Bajo La Luna," a Spanish-language psychedelic dub odyssey of slow, booty-dripping drums and sub-heavy bass; "Don't Let Go," a New Romantic dance-punk floor-filler written and sung by Ben Nelson; and "I Would Fuck Myself," an electro-sexual future-funk anthem of radical self-adoration with a video nominated for a Berlin Music Video Award.