STARSET

Originating from Columbus, Ohio, the ambitious rock outfit Starset coined the term "cinematic rock" to capture their expansive style and arrived in the mid-2010s already equipped with a fully realized science-fiction narrative. Their sweeping concept albums, including Vessels in 2017 and Divisions in 2019, quickly cultivated a loyal following while achieving notable commercial traction. The group’s fourth full-length, Horizons, surfaced in October 2021, and they scored a chart hit the following year via the Breaking Benjamin collaboration “Waiting on the Sky to Change.”

Fronted by Dustin Bates, previously of Downplay, Starset wove an intricate backstory—detailed on their official site and amplified across social platforms—in which they claim recruitment by Dr. Aston Wise of the Starset Society to publicize overlooked or concealed scientific discoveries, especially signals of apparent human origin emanating from the constellation Ophiuchus. In reality, Bates and his colleagues first assembled in July 2013 with the online release of their debut single “Carnivore.” A follow-up track, “My Demons,” emerged in August 2013, and the band performed live for the first time on November 27, 2013, in Salem, Ohio.

Starset introduced their overarching premise on the 2014 debut album Transmissions, issued by Razor & Tie, which reached the Top 50. Their sophomore effort, Vessels, arrived in 2017 and marked a breakthrough by peaking at number 11 on the Billboard 200 while spawning the hit single “Monster.” To sustain momentum, the band issued the deluxe edition Vessels 2.0 in 2018, containing acoustic, reimagined, and remixed versions of the original material. Around this time Bates also launched his electronic side project MNQN. Starset resumed band activity with Divisions, their third studio album, released in September 2019 on Fearless; it entered the Billboard 200 at number 37 and further developed the dystopian future storyline. Fearless also handled the October 2021 release of Horizons. In August 2022 the group teamed with Breaking Benjamin for “Waiting on the Sky to Change,” a track originally recorded by Bates’ prior band Downplay, which climbed to a Top 20 position on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. A series of 2024 singles, among them the hard-rocking “Brave New World,” signaled the impending arrival of the band’s fifth studio album, scheduled for 2025.