Superstar Crush, hailing from Ontario and named after a local celebrity, got their start as the house band for a high school social-justice coffeehouse series. The lineup, comprised of Marzieh Darling (vocals), Sam Hansell (guitar/vocals), Chloe Butler-Stubbs (bass/vocals) and Truaxe Fox (drums/vocals), kept making music together, cutting their teeth at basement parties and in Hamilton’s bar scene before branching out to surrounding cities. After seeing them play at the Casbah in Hamilton (before it shut down), Dwayne Gretzky frontman Tyler Kyte reached out to produce their upcoming album, which will be out later this summer.
“They Keep Calling” opens slowly, with vocals wavering and distorted, giving the effect of a crackling, failing radio transmission. As it builds, the song keeps a romantic sway as layers of synthesizers and violins (supplied by Helen Faucher) fold into the instrumentation. It eventually fleshes out to an indie-rock-meets-baroque-pop ballad, full of ups and downs, and plenty of unique production touches. Of these includes the closing “dream tap-dance solo” – a contribution from friend of the band Lenny McGowan (of Irresponsible Purchase), who dropped by for coffee while the band were tracking their album in a DIY studio set-up at their old middle school.
Written from the perspective of lead singer Marzieh Darling – by her partner and bandmate Sam Hansell – “They Keep Calling” is a love letter in reverse: one that says “I see you,” when no one else does. Inspired by the overwhelming sense of obligation she carried as a confidant, friend, and university Resident Advisor, the song chronicles a descent into psychic static, with Marzieh as its electrified centre. “I didn’t really know how to help,” says Sam. “So I wrote a scenario where she finally stands up and asks to be heard.”
“They Keep Calling” is released ahead of Superstar Crush’s upcoming album, Way Too Much, out independently on August 5th.
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