Marrying airy vocals with ethereal production, StarAV hypnotises listeners with his five-track EP, The End.
Audiences have this year been treated to a slew of standalone releases from Australian multi-hyphenate, StarAV. In September, the singer-songwriter and producer shared Unseen – a meandering, guitar-driven tune with assists from fellow artist, Venice Lockjaw.
A month later, StarAV released Waiting So Long, a cover of the 1997 original, which sees the musician muster all the sonic energy of Silver Fins before him.
The rationale behind that September cover was replicated on StarAV’s early-2022 EP, The End, which boasts a tracklist composed entirely of covers with an atmospheric sonic twist. Released at the tail end of last year, The End’s distinctly ambient sound finds its highlight in EP opener, Frank’s Track which covers the Frank Ocean-featuring song of the same name included in Kanye West’s 2016 album, The Life of Pablo.
Marrying airy vocals with ethereal production, StarAV’s Frank’s Track speaks to the heart of the EP’s broader themes around loss and grief, which are later echoed on his soulful cover of the Kirin J Callinan song, Landslide. While another artist might succumb to the appeal of overly-melancholic music, StarAV’s renditions of the emotional tracks feel reflective rather than pitiful, replete with spacious production which offers room for rumination.
Later on in the five-song EP, StarAV tries his hand at hip hop, slowing down Yung Lean’s Agony for a three-minute rendition which evokes its titular emotion, before finalising the tracklist with a version of Radiohead’s Motion Picture Soundtrack. Speaking of the rationale behind The End in a press statement, StarAV elaborated on his signature ambient soundscape before touching on the EP’s ultimate message of universality.
“The songs were selected as they cover the themes of the discomforts of growth, loss, grief, death and isolation,” StarAV explained. “The songs tie into the idea of self-regulation through music … The EP is a tribute to how music can help one feel less alone through hard times, in bringing a sense of connection that cannot be experienced through conversation.” The artist went on to explain how The End is a mere precursor to his future projects, and explained the EP’s genre.
“The EP sets up the thematic direction for [my] future output. The project takes upon an indie and ambient pop styling, with heavily reverbed piano and vocals at centre stage. Backing this up are synth and noise elements to texturise the world,” StarAV said.
Listen to StarAV’s The End EP below via Spotify, and keep an eye out for his future releases towards the end of this year.
