Brooklyn-based band The Starlight Girls are nothing if not unusual, and D.C. got a taste of their tangy experimentalism Sept. 21.
At 906H, an urban warehouse nestled between shops along H Street NE, people brushed the rainwater off their shoulders and settled in, not really knowing what to expect. The opening act, Zula, piqued the room’s interest with mellow, reverberating psych pop, capturing listeners’ focus before handing off the mic.
As soon as Starlight Girls’ front woman Christina B. began their first song, clad in striped maxi dress, low-cut black combat boots and red Ray-Ban-esque sunglasses, everyone got the message: we were in a psychedelic speakeasy in outer space. As confusing as that sounds, it made perfect sense.
The Starlight Girls released a self-titled EP last year, which features “Gossip” and “Wasteland,” notable tracks that encapsulate the experimental tendencies of this deviant fivesome.
Starlight Girls seemed to elude definition or classification. Their smoky vocals echoed sixties-style female-driven combos while also boasting a little bit of electro-pop mixed with jazz, and a sprinkling of old school girl rock tinged with go-go.
Though, perhaps it’s better to describe Starlight Girls in their own words from their Facebook page— “genre-undefining hyper weirdos.”
All that aside, the band puts out a surprisingly cohesive musical mesh. Off their 7-inch collaboration with Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, the song “7×3” treads on dubstep grounds, while the music video features two society girls gearing up for battle by eating tomatoes.
If that’s not enough, let’s just say that by the time Starlight Girls hit their third song “Try,” all weariness had left the room.
Sure, Starlight Girls is a little odd, but they’ve got something special.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
