Dead Stars
Slumber
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
You know that high school was the best time of your life when…
This album sounds like that first album you and your friends formed a band and really went for senior year of high school. With a sound straight out of the late 90s/early 2000s, Dead Stars has squashed any potential they had by releasing a terribly mixed album with gratingly nasal vocals and lyrics straight out of 10th grade lit class. With subject matter ranging from girls in “Summer Bummer”, to crying in your soup in “Wasted”, we really know what’s on Dead Stars’ mind. There is so much wrong with this album, and it’s a bit embarrassing to say there are even sloppy drum fills and hits that weren’t fixed before releasing to the public.
The tracks “Older” and “Heal Over Time” will really take you back, with their “emo kid from high school playing rhythm guitar and whining at an open mic night” vibe. If anything, this album will injure over time, because you deserve a reward if you make it through to the last track without your ears ringing from the stunningly piercing vocals. “Summer Bummer” is their hopeful single, but honestly anyone who rhymes “summer” with “bummer” shouldn’t be encouraged.
It’s not at all surprising that Dead Stars will be releasing Slumber on cassette as well as CD. To get the full effect, go get out your big triangle earrings, scrunchies and oversized JnCos and rock out to this album while trying not to kill your Tamagotchi. It’ll make you realize why it’s never a good thing to want to go back to high school.
Rating: 
