The 3 Stars – August 31, 2024

It is a holiday weekend and the end of Brat Summer…so I decided to take an extra day to put this together (although I will keep the original date on the blog post). Also. a bit of housekeeping. The 3 Stars Blog will be on hiatus next week.

Well, sort of.

As I will be en route to D.C. to finally see Springsteen in concert, I will have something a little different up my sleeve. 

On to the 3 Stars!

The Number 3 Star: Kim Deal – Crystal Breath

This should not be a surprise, as this song was specially featured in the morning show the day after the release. The new album is set to be released on November 22, and will feature Breeders bandmates Kelley Deal and Jim Macpherson. What excites me about this song is that it is the perfect cocktail of Breeders’ and Pixies’ songs. 

The Number 2 Star: Commuters Lament – The Blameshells

For the second time, this Denver trio makes the list. On the first appearance, I expressed that any song on this album would have found its way to the list, and I am fulfilling that statement. There’s no weak link in the song. Drums, bass, guitar, vocals…it’s everything you want from an indie punk band in their first album. 

The Number 1 Star: DYLM – Hank

Another return champion. London band Hank will release their debut EP later this month, but the two forerunners have been nothing short of spectacular. DYLM (shorthand for “Do You Love Me”) picks up where “Angel Says,” a shoegazey song that deals with heartbreak and the fallout of the end of a relationship. Hank is undoubtedly my favorite discovery from this year, and if the rest of the EP is as good as the first two releases, don’t be surprised to see them here for a third time.