Canadian alt-country adventurers STARPAINTER release Cayenne Flowerbed
Following the singles “I Found a River” and “Rabbits,” today Starpainter releases their latest album Cayenne Flowerbed, an 11-song collection that sees the band’s sonic ambitions, established on their internationally acclaimed 2023 album Rattlesnake Dream, pushed even further.
Produced in Calgary by Chris Dadge—who also plays drums with Alvvays and Chad VanGaalen—Cayenne Flowerbed began as a project that Starpainter’s principle singer/songwriter Joel Stretch says grew to become their most collaborative to date. “I’m always seeking greater artistic freedom. I love albums that feel like they’re searching and taking risks artistically.
“Creating this album was a process of trying things out and it turned out different than I could have predicted going into it. There was a real sense of exploration as we recorded this one that I haven’t always allowed myself on previous projects. All six of our personalities come across pretty strongly and really shaped this album, and Chris really jumped in as a significant collaborator and artistic contributor as well.”
The pride of Lethbridge, a city in southern Alberta that serves as the hub of the local rural community, Starpainter likes to think of itself in similar geographic terms—a little bit town, and a little bit country.
That dichotomy is apparent throughout Cayenne Flowerbed, from the opening track “I Found a River,” which adds a bit of shoegaze haziness to Starpainter’s alt-country foundation. Originally written as a simple folk-rock tune, it blossomed into something entirely unexpected when they got into the studio, once lead guitarist Joel Grey broke out his fuzz box.
Other standouts on Cayenne Flowerbed, such as “Alone on a Road” and “Travelogue,” deftly straddle the line between alt-country and alt-pop, while “Afterlife” adds some Crazy Horse crunch. “Rabbits” may be the album’s most compelling track, sounding almost like a lost collaboration between Paul Simon and My Morning Jacket.
It adds up to further proof that Starpainter is a band determined not to be pigeonholed, but instead evolve with each album. As Stretch says,
“I guess the through-line with the artists that inspire me the most is longevity and a willingness to try out bold ideas and create something that reflects wherever they’re at.”
Starpainter takes Cayenne Flowerbed on the road in Canada beginning Sept. 18. See current dates below.
