Fuzz Club records have diversified in recent years, building on their position as the main purveyors of dark psych/post punk and adding in a whole range of different sounds and styles while still staying faithful to the original vision, bands and followers. That journey into sound continues here with the debut album from Daiistar. Hearing of a band coming out of Austin, Texas with their record produced by Alex Maas of The Black Angels might get you to decide you already know roughly what it will sound like….that misconception would only last a matter of seconds though as the clattering off beat drumming of ‘Star Starter’ immediately points to a much more British sound, heavily reminiscent of the indie dance era, baggy, blissed out, danceable and hugely catchy but still with a serious dose of searing fuzzed up guitars.
This track is one of three already released as a single, each one of them shows a different facet of the band’s sound. As well as the album opener there is ‘Tracemaker’ a gloriously catchy collision between the Stone Roses hip swagger and shoegazer guitar rapture and ‘Repeater’ a denser solar flare trip into neo psychgaze territory.
There are plenty of others that could be pulled out for the single and video treatment ‘LMN BB LMN’ is grinding fuzzy guitars, a bouncy bassline and healthy dose of attitude, while ‘Purified’ gets dreamy and drifty and rises to a glorious sunburst of a chorus; uplifting and poignantly life affirming.
Elsewhere there are plenty of standout moments; distinctive vocals, melodic pop touches and higher than the sun euphoric visions, typified by ‘Parallel’ and ‘Speed Jesus’ which would have been perfect for a Weatherall mix or an Adrian Sherwood dub demolition. The loping, complex almost-funk drum sound is there throughout much of the album, driving on the sound and forming the backbone for the guitars to hang from.
Overall this is a refreshing positive chimera, bright and totally lacking in cynicism; a strange summery dream of an album mixing styles from Creation shoegaze to hip Madchester dance and euphoric indie anthems. Amazingly Daiistar have only been together for a few years but sound like they’ve been honing and sharpening these songs for much longer. They will pick up a mass of followers on their forthcoming US tour supporting The Dandy Warhols and The Black Angels. Hope to see them UK bound at some point soon as well!
Fuzz Club Bandcamp
August 23
