Stars
There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light
Release Date: Oct 13, 2017
Genre(s): Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
Record label: Last Gang Records
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Album Review: There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light by Stars
Great, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 9/10
Nearly three years to the release day of their last full-length, 2014's No One Is Lost, Montreal's Stars have gifted listeners There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light. The record marks the band's first time entrusting their sound to producer Peter Katis, known for his work on seminal Interpol and National records, who has guided the band in creating some of their finest work. Co-singers Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell take on the relationship they have written about extensively on tracks such as "We Called It Love" and "Losing to You ….
Based on rating 8/10
Canadian indie pop establishment Stars are no strangers to artfully crafted dissections of love's many facets, but on their eighth full-length release, the subject is treated to a master class of amorous rumination. As laid out in its title cut, the overriding theme of There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light is the classic pearl of wisdom that like anything that lives, love's survival depends on its being tended, watered, nurtured, and occasionally taken out of its home to marinate in the elements. Stars must know something about this as, like a perennially well-adjusted couple, they show up every few years to quietly impress with their consistency, unity, and steadfast commitment to quality.
Based on rating 7/10
Let’s start with full disclosure. Somehow I’ve managed to go through the 21st century without ever listening to Stars, even though their synth-infused indie pop is right in my musical wheelhouse. So, readers, this will not be a review that references earlier Stars albums or songs. That being said, I really enjoyed this record.
Based on rating 6/10
Having started in nascent form at the beginning of the millennium, it's safe to say Stars are old hands at this whole indie pop thing by now. The Canadian five-piece is onto its eighth full-length, and if There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light is a long way from setting anything on fire, never mind matching peak Stars Set Yourself on Fire, it's a comfortingly pleasant experience. The ease with which a new record by Stars slides by is both a strength and weakness.
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