Dirty Hit usually brings to mind English pop artists like Pale Waves, Beabadoobee, and The 1975, but now, the label is also cashing in on post-punk. Been Stellar, a quintet based in New York City, blends incendiary riffs, biting songwriting, and caustic delivery, all with a melodic bent that also appeals to the pop-minded listener.
Their debut album, Scream From New York, NY, plays like a highlight reel of Been Stellar’s many strengths. Consisting of vocalist Sam Slocum, guitarists Skyler Knapp and Nando Dale, drummer Laila Wayans, and bassist Nico Brunstein, this band is an American counterpart to the massive wave of great British post-punk, such as Shame, Dry Cleaning, and Black Midi, that has been a predominant subgenre of the 2020s thus far.
Ahead of the record’s release on June 21, Been Stellar sat down with Uproxx to talk about Blink-182, ping-pong, and their love of South America in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Skyler: We’re here, we exist.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Skyler: I’d like it not to be “remembered” but listened to. When you hear good music, the time period and context doesn’t matter. If something real is made, I like to think it burns itself outside of linear time.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Skyler: Basquiat is always my creative North Star. Even though my favorite things he’s done aren’t musical (although his recordings with Gray are very cool) his relationship with language and imagery always pushes me to make something that matters. As of late, Elliot Smith has also started to reach those ranks as well.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life, and what was it?
Sam: We had fish and chips on the coast, driving into Glasgow a couple summers ago. Life-changing.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Sam: When Sky and I were in high school, we went to go see a band named Pup play in Grand Rapids, MI. It was the first ‘punk’ show I had been to, and I just remember how sweaty we got. Great live band.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Nando: I’d say probably when we slept in this person’s house in Denver during the Catcher tour. The host was this sort of Burning Man-esque techno DJ, and we arrived after driving overnight from Chicago for 16 hours, and he was mixing trance music, and there were just a bunch of dudes hanging out there. I remember he had a massive jug of water that apparently had bleach in it, and it was just standing on the kitchen counter, so some of us got close to drinking it, could’ve been bad. But nonetheless, we were happy to have a place to stay for free for the night.
