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- May 8, 2023
STAR SEED Tells a Story with “Essence” EP
Experimental pop duo STAR SEED has delivered a new, 8-track EP that dazzles and inspires. “Essence” is out now via Lost In Dreams Records, Insomniac Music Group’s latest vision, dedicated to creating a surreal label experience. The brand aims to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, which is the perfect match for STAR SEED’s ethereal new tracks.
STAR SEED is east coast based, and released their fascinating new EP based on a book that they wrote. These songs bring sonic life to their storytelling abilities, making it a true standout in recent electronic pop music. Meggie York, a collaborator on “Circles” spoke highly of connecting with STAR SEED.
“I couldn’t be happier to be back with another release with some of my best friends. STAR SEED and I have been close for years, and making music with them is so enjoyable.”
Meggie York
The EP opens with “It’s Just You” in collaboration with Nytrix. It opens the jaw of the feelings to come and lets ethereal pour out, reaching and vast. It douses the ears in sound and captures the pulse of the EP at the onset of the dubstep section of the track. The love-infused ballad is built upon their signature modular sound design, and does wonders for the intro to “Essence.”
“Sunrise” follows, continuing the radiant energy by playfully jolting out rays of light. The underlying movements are explorative, but they all culminate in one cohesive item of beauty. This song focused on pitched, precise vocals, evoking emotion in tandem by the palette of sound surrounding the voice.
“Falling,” in collaboration with Zoe Moon, is complicated and emotional. Icy piano keys meet stirring strings, brought together flawlessly by Moon’s vocals, shifting the direction of the EP. The beginning is slow burn, only to soar into a booming beat drop and fun break, keeping the listeners on their toes and ready for adventure.
“The Abyss,” with Fruit, hits the murky midway point on “Essence.” Breathy vocals bring rise to bubbling feelings that feel too fearsome to admit. The tone is uncertain, questioned by the lyrics themselves and muddled further by the off-kilter, bass-heavy moments. The track captures experimental bass well, as melodic as it is forward-thinking.
“Whatever It Takes” connects with vocalist Crunr in an ode to defeating adversity. The lyrics are motivational and unstoppable, catching the ear with experimental pop and thrill. “Daylight” follows, another track driven by vocal power, this time with Charity Vance. He helps bring out the magic in this track, gliding vocals and currents of good-feeling sound. Powerful leads are layered with intoxicating melodies, inviting us to look within.
“Circles,” with Meggie York, is a standout on the EP. One can tell she is a frequent collabroator with STAR SEED as their well-established chemistry is on full display here. The listener is brought through an epic quest, backed by pensive lyrics, lush acoustics, and cinematic string wells. STAR SEED was careful in the balance of this song, sure to trip the track back to let York’s vocals take reign.
“Essence” concludes with “I’ll Be There,” collaborated on by Nina Sung. The journey is brought to its rightfully epic conclusion in this track, chartering love and connection. She delivers not only from the heart but from the soul, embracing listeners on their coldest day. Emotion is lit up by the tender piano and analog sound design, unveiling an unbridled upbeat energy soon after. This track ends the EP on quite the high note.
STAR SEED is running a limited release of the book that was brought to life in conjunction with the EP. Essence is a compelling, eight chapter read coinciding with the eight tracks they released. The book pairs abstract art with fantastical narration, delving deeper into the meaning behind each song.
“Before we started making the music for this project, we wrote a book called ‘Essence’ and wanted to tell the story sonically. We reached out to collaborators to work on the EP with us and made sure that the songs told the story, as well… This is one of our most ambitious projects yet and seeing it come to life has been unreal.”
STAR SEED
Check out “Essence” below and keep up with STAR SEED here.
