Stratis Capta Records – 13th May 2026
Christopher Nosnibor
While gearing up for a second EP, San Francisco’s Octavian Winters give us the single ‘By the Stars’ – and while it’s quite the contrast from its predecessor, the adrenalized slice of post-punk that is ‘Elements of Air’, the distinctive key elements are still very much in evidence, not least of all the robust drumming, and the catchy shoegaze pop shades, which are keenly reminiscent of Curve.
The intro sets the tone for the song, introducing elements of light and shade, whereby a soft chiming guitar – wistful and ponderous – contrasts with a darker-sounding Cure-like chorus-soaked bass and rolling tom-led drums which arrive shortly after. Ria Aursjoen’s sweetly melodic vocals add a whole other dimension. From hereon in, the song swirls around amidst hazy atmospheres.
The song possesses a dreamy quality, and the structure is more a sequence of segments than a more conventional verse / chorus, which only accentuates the sense of the song being a journey, with a sense of flow and transition instead of feeling constrained. The effect is to lift the listener, not necessarily out of body, but momentarily out of time, and to another space, a space apart from the grounded world. And right now, when the (supposedly) grounded world is hard to deal with, these five minutes of uplifting separation are absolute bliss.
AA
Photo by David Kruschke
Aural Aggravation 