The rising NYC rock band is currently out on tour in the U.S. with Fontaines D.C.
This past week, I had a moment to catch up with Been Stellar as they embark on a tour supporting Fontaines D.C.’s US dates before their own headline sprint through Europe. They are a rising New York City rock band that sounds exactly how you imagine the city feels right now. Massive, fast, disorienting, but always romantic, always alluring. They provide the kind of smart modern punk that fuels meaningful nights with thoughtful lyrics, tough and toned guitars, and genius drums. It comes in a package perfect to play alongside those indie darlings Fontaines D.C., and I believe they’re poised to take over your winter playlists.
Guitarist Skyler Knapp and vocalist Sam Slocum were the original pair, and then they were joined by guitarist Nando Dale, bass player Nico Brunstein, and drummer Laila Wayans while studying at NYU. Their newest album, Scream From New York, NY, is gritty, considerate, and loud, making it a damn lovely ride from beginning to end. Each track is plainly a banger in its own right. Their unique perspective as bright-eyed transplants in an impossible city during an impossible era can be a cold shock to the skin. “Passing Judgement” leads off as the original single from the record, and it is determined enough to win over confused youth and old, disenchanted grungers alike. It’s followed by the heartwrencher called “Pumpkin” that could paint pictures of a certain home in your head with nostalgic colors. “Scream from New York, NY” is the apocalyptic anthem we can all lean into right now. There’s cheeky anger fired up in irony, and a driving rhythm in “Can’t Look Away” that might cause you to pick up and run out of the door. “All In One” is my personal favorite: tension and relief, depths and heights.
They close out the record bending and twisting in “I Have the Answer,” which also showcases the prettiest lyrics on the record: ”Just for a little while, I know what it’s like/ Just for a little while, I have the answer/ Just for a little while, you can’t undo it.”
Here is my best attempt at recounting the interview with Sam Slocum and Skyler Knapp from an afternoon about a week ago before their very first show of the run. Their first couple of shows this go-round were canceled on behalf of health concerns for Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten, but Been Stellar got creative and blew out some DIY venues in the meantime. Since then, Chatten made a full recovery, and the shows are back in business.
Been Stellar are preparing to launch. Do not miss the opportunity to catch them in this special moment. Get to the show early. Buy the t-shirts. Spin the records. Make sure to follow them on Instagram, too. They are worthy of all the praise and pride that a modern American rock band can take.
Alright alright, how are we feeling today?
Sam: Tonight is the first show in Seattle. It’s just been a ton of driving. We did a college show in Maine, and drove from Maine to Seattle, and we drive ourselves, so it’s just been a lot of driving. We played KEXP yesterday, which was definitely really cool, and today is our first show, so it’s going to be nonstop after this.
Well right on, how stoked are y’all?
Skyler: Stoked. I mean it’s going to be a lot – we haven’t done this much touring back-to-back really ever. It’s going to be intense, but we are very stoked just to get on stage again.
What feels different about this tour? Is there anything that’s daunting? Anything that’s super exciting?
Skyler: Fontaines are obviously a really great band. They’re an important band right now, so to some extent, there is a little bit of anxiety opening up for a band that’s as good as they are. We want to approach this tour as the precursor to our headline tours that are coming up in a lot of ways. We have a really strong urge to level up as a live band off the back of the new EP. You can get complacent playing the same songs over and over, so we put a lot of thought into how we can make it more dynamic and interesting. Also, a lot of the new songs on the past record are definitely more challenging to bring to life live, so it’s been a challenge to put a lot of thought into how to make it happen. But we’re approaching this tour the same way that we approach any tour, though. We want this to be the best we’ve ever played. That doesn’t change even if you’re opening up for a really cool band. The mentality is consistent, even if it’s a show for five people (laughs) which we still play all the time.
So damn exciting. You mentioned the record that came out – how’s it sitting right now? How are you feeling about it?
Sam: I feel like this tour is the first time those songs have come into their full form live. There’s always a little bit of dissonance between the recording and how it translates to the live setting. The way we did the record and the way we recorded it live, besides the vocals and a couple guitar overdubs, set ourselves up to be able to replicate it authentically live, but it does take time to really hone in on the sound.
Selfishly, I have to ask about “Can’t Look Away.”
Skyler: That one won’t be in the setlist unfortunately until our headline shows. That one was a process of just stacking guitars consistently, which isn’t something you can really do authentically live, so it’s been a lot of effort for me to make it sound full. When songs are sort of drone-y like that one, it’s very easy to have them fall flat live. It happens all the time, even with classic songs that are of that form. It’s all about dynamics. (Laughs) I wanna challenge myself so we are able to do that one, though.
I’ll be waiting! Alright, so we’ll call the record a house, and the house is on fire. You only have a chance to run in and save one moment. Whether its a riff or a lyric, what do you run in and save?
Skyler: I’d probably save the lyric “I have the answer, just for a little while.” I feel like, in my mind, that really sums up the album, and that is the Thing that the album is leading to. It’s kind of the final realization. It conveys what the record is all about. Either that or the lyric “They don’t make words for this.”
Sam: Those are both good choices.
What about a riff or a drum fill?
Skyler: Maybe the drum part in the chorus of “All in One.” It’s definitely one of the highlights for me on the record. The main riff in “Passing Judgement,” also.
Sam: I like your guitar part in “Pumpkin.”
Skyler: That harmonic part (sings).
Beautiful. Do you think there are going to be some tunes that surprise some fans live?
Skyler: We’re opening the shows with the title track from the record, which I used to really want to be the opening to the whole album, but we eventually decided against it. As an opener, I’m really proud and happy with it. When you’re opening for another band, you want to have a balance of giving people what they want, which is just fast music that they don’t really have to think about because you’re just an obstacle before the opener. To somehow demand their attention, you kind of want to piss them off a little bit. I’ve found that if you pander to them too much, you’ll be forgotten. I like that song because I can see it pissing some people off and annoying some people because it’s kind of a slow burn. That excites me. If you only see a quarter of the room leave and go to the bar, that means the people who are there are actually…
Oh, they’re in.
Skyler: Yeah it’s way more visual form of a filter. If you just open with bangers, people might kind of half-heartedly bob their heads along. So I’m really excited to see how that one works.
So with this big ol’ tour, how are you going to be looking for comfort? Are you preparing in different ways know this will be a haul and a half?
Skyler: Honestly, it’s eating. It’s really the big thing. It’s way easier to not eat something that kills you in Europe. In the US, it’s pretty difficult. Drinking is one thing, but if you don’t really keep an eye on the things you’re putting in your body, it gets really brutal, and you start to get sick, so I’m going to be much more thoughtful on this tour. What about you?
Sam: As I said, we’re going to be driving ourselves, and we don’t have a tour manager this run, so we’ll be selling merch, settling up with the venues, literally everything, just because touring is expensive. The shows are one thing, and then you have the whole other dynamic of all the touring logistics. I think it’s really important to take time for yourself when you have a moment. Taking a little bit of a walk around the town you’re in. Having a way to calm down. It can be really easy to get overwhelmed in a touring environment. You’re around the people that you love, but when you’re surrounded by people all the time, it doesn’t really matter how much you love them. You drive each other insane. Having ways to minimize the blow ups. Knowing the warning signs. Being able to say “Okay, I’m feeling this right now, and I need to go take a moment for myself.” Just 20 minutes. Whether that’s listening to music, taking some deep breaths. I think that’s just something you pick up the more touring you do.
Is there anything else you’d want me to add? Anything you’d want to say to some of the fans that might see this interview?
Skyler: If they’re around, we’d love for you to come out. We’ll be doing a lot more touring next year. Check out our album. We really worked hard on it, and we’re very proud of it. Give it a spin.
