Track Star

In the early nineties, San Francisco provided the setting where Track Star first took shape as a guitar duo. A drum machine supplied the rhythm section while the musicians kept rehearsing and playing shows until they added a drummer. Once a 7" split appeared on Kick Down Records, the band soon followed with a split cassette alongside Raisler. The 1995 EP Sometime What's The Difference brought the group notice inside Bay Area music circles. Supporting its debut album Communication Breaks, Track Star toured the United States in 1997, appearing alongside Promise Ring, Modest Mouse, and Stereolab and also playing the annual Noise Pop Festival. During the same period Cusick participated in The Aislers Set. In 2000 guitarists Wyatt Cusick and Matthew Troy resumed work with a drum machine after parting from their original drummer, who was succeeded by Brian Girgus, formerly of Lowercase. After abandoning earlier material, the band recorded new songs and issued its second album, Lions Destroyed The Whole World, in 2002; many listeners called the record sublime pop rock and it drew strong critical praise.