The story of California grunge-pop band STARRY EYES is both tragic and triumphant. The band evolved from the deep friendship between founding duo guitarist John Shippey and drummer Matthew Scoggins. The pair worked together tirelessly for two years on the music for its uplifting debut EP, Ciao Bella, while on an arduous quest to find the right singer to complement their unique sound. John and Matt eventually struck gold in early 2021 with singer and lyricist Kyle Tekiela, and for three weeks it looked like the LA-based group was complete. Then Matt died suddenly of drug-related causes, and the band’s ambitions came to a tragic halt. Today, nearly two years after Matt’s death, John and Kyle have soldiered on and the band’s story is a powerful rebirth narrative.
STARRY EYES are spiritually aligned with the dark catharsis inherent in the 1990’s Seattle scene. Many of its lyrical themes address the anguish and pain of watching loved ones burn down their lives with substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors. Kyle’s father has been a heroin addict for decades, and the reverberations of his actions still create difficulties for him and his family today. These themes only became amplified by Matt’s sudden death. However, unlike the furrowed brow angst of grunge, STARRY EYES songs waft a California balminess with grimy low-slung riffs and searing guitar leads being offset by dreamy chiming passages and sharp pop-rock hooks. John describes his guitar approach as “salty air rock” and his riffs exude a sweet melancholy. Kyle adds to the band’s alt-rock ambitions a passion for Radiohead, and punk/emo influences from the aughts. As a vocalist, his range is powerfully dynamic, spanning seductive gravelly low-tones and reaching skyward to a honeyed falsetto.
Ciao Bella is self-produced and exudes a warm and crisp fidelity due to being tracked on 2-inch tape and mixed on analog boards by legendary producer and Sub Pop Records hitmaker Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Built to Spill, and Mudhoney). Multi Grammy-award winning engineer Greg Calbi (Adele, Ramones, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen) mastered the EP. The vinyl release of the EP will feature sensual cover art hand painted by John Shippey’s longtime girlfriend, the artist Natalia Zofia.
Today Glide is premiering the rousing single “Jetlag,” which is punctuated by grungy riffage, mountainous ringing power chords, and a sun-kissed chorus. The song is filled with vocals that are pop-laced and catchy, enhanced by keyboard that is spacey and soulful, and background harmonies that ascent to a place of pure reflection. The bridge to the song also showcases some fine guitar work that is swelling and atmospheric before we reach the final chorus that is equal parts melancholy and revelatory. Sadly, the song is a tribute to a lost friend and band mate that resonates all too well.
Kyle Tekiela describes the inspiration behind the tune:
Fame. Fortune. Hollywood. To a kid from the midwest, these starry-eyed dreams are a dime a dozen. But for more than most people, that’s as far as it will ever get — a dream. I was never satisfied with dreaming alone, so I made my way out west and put in the work and eventually found myself doing what I always dreamed I would do: producing award winning movies I could be proud of (along with quite a few that I’d rather forget). The velvet rope had opened and I was on the inside along with all the other dreamers who weren’t content with merely dreaming. From the outside it looked like I had made it. But what people don’t see is the omnipresent, soul sucking nature of the Hollywood machine that grinds you down and forces you to compromise your values in the name of business. For all the many wonderful friends I had made out here, I had met twice as many liars, crooks, and sociopaths. When your attorney becomes the most important person on your creative team, you know that something has gone terribly wrong. As I dealt with one shady character after another, I watched myself transform into a person I never wanted to become; sacrificing the relationships of the people I loved along the way — and I found myself hating the dream I was living. When the world shut down in 2020, I was forced to hit the brakes and for the first time in years I had the opportunity to reevaluate my life and its purpose. I realized I needed to wake up from this dream that had become more like a nightmare. It felt like a really bad hangover. It felt like Jetlag.
When John and I wrote Jetlag, this was a theme we wanted to explore. To tell a story that feels like a fantasy but reveals itself as a horror film. Something that tastes like bubblegum but cut with arsenic. The chorus is sung with a huge smile but the teeth are yellowed and crooked — “I wanna die in California. I want a desert funeral. Blow my ashes off a mirror with a hundred dollar bill.” But this isn’t just a Hollywood story. It happens every day all over the world. People sacrificing their relationships and their health for career gain. I’m well aware that these same dynamics also play out in the music industry so it’s fair to say I’m jumping from the frying pan into the fire here, but at least I’m doing so with my eyes wide open. I think that’s the other theme at play here too… that it’s ok to purge the negative things from your life, whether it’s a destructive career or a toxic relationship. That it’s ok to start over no matter how old you are or how far down the rabbit hole you’ve traveled. It can be the hardest thing in the world but it’s worth it.
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