Star Sailors shoegaze and dreampop compilation
Star Sailors: A Shoegaze & Dreampop Compilation is a collection of twenty-three indie tunes, delivering all the glimmers, tight squalls of noise, and moody haze you’d expect from a shoegaze comp. The project of Pete Pom (Dramamine), Star Sailors is now in its fourth iteration and helps to connect new bands with new listeners.
“The Star Sailors compilation is one of my favorite projects,” said Pete. “It gives me the chance to connect with fellow artists and help amplify their work. I’m constantly inspired by how many incredible people are out there making music.”
A rather basic note on my part, but I’ll say it anyway: there’s something for everyone who appreciates a range of shoegaze sounds and styles; Star Sailors vol. 4 is expansive rather than narrow. I mean, if you like a tighter range of sounds, this comp might not be for you. Some tracks blur traditional sound barriers of the genre(s) with more synthetic sounds and beats: “Wasted on a Wish” (Hyps) and “Transient” (Chainlacing) while others cross over into 90s indie rock territory: “Sink” (Nothingland) and “Afterwards” (Wybercron)… or summon a bit of dark-tinged pop: “A Night In Your Dreams” (Memories Fading). “Brighter Shades of Gold” (The Virginia Planes) reminds of Stars and Bloom Effect’s “Suspendo” makes me think of the frantic joy of Unrest guitars.
“The Star Sailors compilation put our music straight into the ears of shoegaze superfans,” commented Bloom Effect’s Jula Lafit, “just look at their Bandcamp fandom.”
Star Sailors: A Shoegaze & Dreampop Compilation is available on Bandcamp as a name-your-price digital album. Money paid goes to the artists or is reinvested in the Star Sailors project. Curator Pete suggests exploring individual contributors’ pages to purchase physical releases and merch directly from artists. If you swore yourself off Spotify this year, want to support artists more directly or made a resolution to actively discover new bands, Star Sailors vol. 4 is an excellent and affordable collection to dig into. “Reach out and tell them you like their music,” says Pete.