Photo by Autumn de Wilde
A little over a year ago I interviewed California based hard rock band Starcrawler and attended their show at a rooftop venue in Bushwick. The interview presented Arrow de Wilde and company as quite soft-spoken, shy despite their ear-splitting sound. Contrasted with the near possessed energy of their live performance, I found myself entertaining the possibility that maybe there really are two entities that exist within the young musicians.
Their latest video for “Bet My Brains”, released today alongside news of their Sophomore album Devour You (out October 11 via Rough Trade) only confirms that theory.
“I am standing in a cupboard hiding from my aunt… I hate her… I hold two slats of wood I consider using to barricade myself in this cupboard… then I realize I can just kill her… I must have lost my mind.”
Arrow’s voice comes in an exaggerated British accent at the start of the video, narrating a murder that could easily have been a southern gothic tale in the style of Flannery O’Connor. The remainder of the video travels along the same lines, distinguished older men and women in washed-out linens and thick face paints vomit literal kittens onto staircases as Arrow shrieks that she has gone insane.
I believe her when I watch the video, hear her desperate, psychotic screeches. And the truth is, a certain degree of insanity is necessary to produce such unique artistry. I think Starcrawler may have become even crazier within the last year. Maybe I’m crazy too. I can’t wait to see their next live show.
You can pre-order the album here, and follow them on Instagram here