The Hanging Stars

The Hanging Stars, a British ensemble, craft a luminous variety of cosmic Americana infused with elements of country, psychedelia, and jangle pop. Evoking predecessors such as Big Star, the Byrds, and Fairport Convention, the outfit emerged from London in the second half of the 2010s, issuing a series of unhurried yet meticulously produced records including Over the Silvery Lake (2016) and Songs for Somewhere Else (2018). Capturing sessions across Nashville, Los Angeles, and London, they developed a distinctive sonic identity blending predominant American inspirations with subtle British folk touches. Aligning with Loose Music, the label put out their fourth full-length Hollow Heart in 2022, and two years afterward the harmonically rich On a Golden Shore.

Led by vocalist and guitarist Richard Olsen together with bassist Sam Ferman, drummer Paulie Cobra, and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, the group laid down its first record, 2016's Over the Silvery Lake, in L.A. and London, emphasizing California coastal atmospheres through rustic vocal blends and country-tinged tools such as banjo and pedal steel. The subsequent effort, 2018's Songs for Somewhere Else, maintained an analogous musical path while gaining fans across the ocean in both directions.

Entering the following decade, pedal steel player Joe Harvey-White came aboard, allowing the Hanging Stars to refine their intricate textures on 2020's A New Kind of Sky. After putting out their prior pair of albums via the group's Crimson Crow label, they partnered with the reputable British independent Loose Music for their fourth project. The Scottish indie icon Edwyn Collins handled production duties on Hollow Heart, which came out in 2022. The identical approach shaped their fifth release, 2024's On a Golden Shore, delivering a more aggressive, guitar-oriented style featuring thick vocal layers.