Stella Stella, the Philadelphia-based noise pop and shoegaze four-piece, released “Pure air” on July 28th, the first single off their debut EP Radio Club. It’s also worth noting that they have released a single every year since 2022. I really like “Blue Hour” (2022) and “M. Tranquil” (2024). Autumn Kitabjian serves as the vocalist, Adris Raal and Audrey Lee play guitar. Sam Beliveau plays drums, with Adris Raal serving as songwriter alongside Sam and mixing engineer alongside Sean Riley.
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“Pure air” is the kind of track where the production of the statement is as much part of the statement as the lyrics themselves. Kitabjian’s voice gets swallowed into the sound deliberately, the noise and the haze wrapping around all the words until the two become inseparable, and it works. When the “air air air air air” refrain hits for the first time, the production starts to convolute the lyrics in a way that feels completely intentional, like the song is physically doing what it is describing, something slipping out of reach.
Looking at the lyrics alongside the listening experience is almost necessary to fully appreciate what Stella Stella are going for here. Standout lyrics to me are “ I made up a memory, came to me in a dream, from pure air baby” and “woke up, no reflection” carry a dreamy, disorienting quality that the production amplifies rather than undermines. It evokes exactly what the band describes, a jazz club dance floor bathed in radio interference, broken but still banging.
This is not a song for everyone, and it does not try to be. But for the right listener, it is exactly the kind of art that rewards you. Stella Stella are doing something genuinely interesting and with Radio Club dropping September 8th, “Pure Air” is a compelling introduction to what the band is coming up with.
Written by Anthony Perez
