Portland elctro-pop band Starfucker has a reputation of pushing the proverbial envelope with an explicit title, a knack for wearing women’s clothing on stage and annoyingly changing its name several times. Over the past three years the public has known them as PYRAMID, Pyramiddd and Strfkr. Finally settling on a title—officially Starfucker, but touring as STRFKR—the four-piece has released a pre-orderable/downloadable album, scheduled to officially release in March. While the band’s title might make your parents shake their heads, they get away with it by delivering music that is consistently and undeniably catchy. And with the early release of Reptilians critics can’t help but drop all charges. This is music. And it’s good.
Reptilians has you instantly hooked with its opener “Born,” a cheery acoustic jam with high pitched vocals akin to Passion Pit and more enjoyable than MGMT. Meanwhile, the record as a whole is solid and innovative enough to exceed the reputation of bands Starfucker has been compared to. The album is glossed to synthtastic perfection, suited for any basement dance party and the ideal soundtrack for a sunny day. “Julius” and “Bury Us Alive” are equally addictive, providing a firm skeleton for the album. By track 5, nostalgic pop jam “Death as a Fetish,” listeners are completely hooked. This album is likely to shake your speakers all year.
Reptilians rolls over smoothly with 12 consistently hooky tracks and two bonus tracks (do the math, that’s 14 total). It’s a feat nowadays for a band to put out a solid 6-track album, let alone 14. Reptilians succeeds in delivering beats that are both danceable and philosophically rich, with quotes from British philosopher Alan Watts interspersed in songs such as “Hungry Ghost” and “Quality Time.” This synth-strong, pop-heavy record is not one to be ignored, with songs you wouldn’t mind crawling into and floating around in for a little while, most notably “The White of Noon.” Starfucker/STRFKR is a Ping-Pong ball in mercury, now all we can do is sit back and watch it float swiftly to the top.
-Witler
Tracklist
1. Born
2. Julius
3. Bury Us Alive
4. Mystery Cloud
5. Death as a Fetish
6. Astoria
7. Reptilians
8. The White of Noon
9. Hungry Ghost
10. Mona Vegas
11. Millions
12. Quality Time
13. Slow Dance (Bonus Track)
14. Recess Time (Bonus Track)
