‘STARRY EYES’ Releases Debut Gunge-Pop Single ‘Jetlag’
US grunge-pop band ‘STARRY EYES’ releases their debut single ‘Jetlag’, the first single to be released from their debut EP ‘Ciao Bella’. The self-produced EP was mixed by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes and Mudhoney) and mastered by Multi Grammy-award-winning engineer Greg Calbi (Adele, Ramones, Paul McCartney).
The story of the 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 for two years on the music for their debut EP, Ciao Bella, while on a frustrating search 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. Ciao Bella will be preceded by the anthemic single “Jetlag.”
‘Jetlag’ centres around the idea of doing everything it takes to reach a dream, only to realise the choices you’ve made along the way have left a path of pain and destruction that you may never recover from. Backed by grungy riffs and melancholic lyrics that contrast with the delivery of sugary hooks and a bright chorus arrangement, The result is a bittersweet track that provides an unexpected cathartic undertone. The track comes in part from the band’s emotional hangover after Matt’s death and frontman Kyle Tekiela’s personal experience of achieving his childhood dream of producing award-winning films only to be met by the slimy realities of the business. Kyle explains, “I soon came to understand just how shallow and empty all the glamour really is. The dream of ‘dying in California’ is both spiritual and physical because the person you were when you arrived is gone and what’s left is someone barely recognizable. ‘Jetlag’ is my wake-up call.”
Today, the remaining members of STARRY EYES are looking toward the future while grounding themselves in their tragic past. The music of Ciao Bella is a homage to those they’ve lost and a bitter-sweet beginning of the beautiful things to come.
