Been Stellar

Originating as a five-piece outfit in New York City toward the close of the 2010s, Been Stellar soaked up numerous regional reference points stretching from Television to the Strokes. The worldwide standstill created by the COVID-19 pandemic forced a halt to live activity, prompting the group to broaden its sonic range and thereby attract notice well beyond the five boroughs.

The members first connected while attending New York University, although the partnership between singer Sam Slocum and guitarist Skyler St. Marx originated earlier during their high-school years in Detroit, where the pair began making music together. They soon invited their roommates—Brazilian-born guitarist Nando Dale and L.A.-raised bassist Nico Brunstein—into the fold and completed the lineup by adding local drummer Laila Wayans. During their formative period the quintet played frequent area shows while absorbing the storied legacy of alt-rock acts seeking success in America’s largest metropolis. Once the pandemic closed venues and restricted gatherings, Been Stellar stood ready to stretch their sound after issuing their first release, the well-streamed “Fear of Heights.”

The gritty 2021 singles “Louis XIV” and “The Poets” soon opened the door to a more pressing style equally informed by successive eras of upbeat British alternative rock and shoegaze. Their self-titled 2022 EP, issued by the U.K. label So Young, featured urgent tracks such as “My Honesty” and “Manhattan Youth” and led to a headlining British tour that drew the interest of Dirty Hit Records. The label released the band’s debut full-length album, Scream from New York, NY, in summer 2024, after which Been Stellar accompanied labelmates the 1975 on a European tour.