Double Star uses their small horn section to pack an energetic punch in this pop-rock listen.
Double Star bring a dazzling energy with their new EP, Say Something Now, strategically sprinkling in a horn section to bring a ska-type influence to their otherwise pop-rock sound. The five-track EP gives a real sense of the band’s enthusiasm for music with passion on every track.
Double Star first formed in 2016 when Haidee Janak (lead singer/guitar/trumpet) responded to a Craigslist ad posted by David Kurimsky (guitar) looking for a singer/lyricist. Together the two wrote their first song, “State Line,” featured on the band’s first EP, Wonder & Mayhem. Bill Ramsay (bass) soon joined the two, having played with Kurimsky in the past. The final two members of the band Matt Blum (drums) and Leah Bakst (vocals/keys/saxophone), also joined via Craigslist in early 2017. Heavily influenced by The Clash, Breeders, Minutemen, Liz Phair, and Los Lobos, Double Star nails a sound that spans and resonates with multiple generations.
In the titular song off the EP, “Say Something Now,” Janak and Bakst harmonize, adding depth to the chorus, singing, “When you can’t see forward and you / can’t see backward either / take a big step and you / try to be the leader.” The guitar and drums on the track work in tandem, keeping the beat while punctuating Janak’s lyrics, giving the song a heavier feel. The song then breaks down at the bridge into a synth and guitar solo, turning away from the punk stylings of the verses and focusing more on modern rock. In the second verse of the song, the band drops an Easter egg: Bakst responds to a question in the background, “Yeah,” which the band decided to keep—showing their authenticity and humility in wanting to showcase the recording process.
“Wasted Time” does a good job of encapsulating Double Star’s energy—starting with a simple bass line that is eventually joined by drums and horns until the entire band grooves together. Janak and Bakst harmonize not only with their voices but with their instruments, adding trumpet and saxophone, coloring the track. The song ends with a fun jam session between Janak and Bakst on trumpet and saxophone as they trade solos while the band effortlessly backs it.
The final song on the EP, “Holding Hands is for Lovers and Small Children,” brings out the band’s more rugged side with a sound almost like the The Pretenders. Blum and Ramsay provide a bass line that continuously pushes the energy on the track, making the synth and guitar solos shine even greater, while Janak sings of lost devotion in this anti-love song. “You play the game / I pick up all the pieces that remain / in the back of my mind,” she sings as she attempts to move on from a relationship, slowly realizing that it has ended.
Say Something Now is a true celebration, bringing high energy that mimics the feeling of being at a live concert. The inclusion of horns along with complicated instrumentation and catchy lyrics fleshes out the EP completely and leaves the listener wanting more.