Starbenders: The Band Breaking Genre Barriers and the Gender Binary
Meet the androgynous, glitter punk rock and roll band shaking up the music scene with their eye-catching stage looks and fuzzy psychedelic jams.
Written by Kriss Conklin
Photo courtesy of Vegas Giovanni
Upon first glance at Starbenders, one would think the Atlanta natives stepped out of a time machine that just got back from the ‘80s. The chunky platform heels, bell bottoms, long, luscious, hair-sprayed locks, and borderline androgynous looks Starbenders serve are only a fraction of what makes the self-labeled ‘glitter punk rock and roll’ band the musical anomaly of the 21st century. By blending various genres into a distinct sound, Starbenders have been deconstructing rock music and the rock star persona since forming in 2013.
The genesis of Starbenders began in suburban Atlanta when lead singer and guitarist Kimi Shelter was encouraged to start a band by producer Nico Constantine (Lady Gaga, Program the Dead). Shelter first phoned her best friend and “intense musical crush,” Aaron Lecesne, who picked up bass for Starbenders immediately. The remaining members, guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Emily Moon, were discovered at a “sh-tty house party in the middle of nowhere” and on a Craigslist ad. Although it took four years for Starbenders’ dream lineup to come together, the band had already produced a self-titled EP, a handful of singles, and a debut album with previous members.
What truly sets Starbenders apart from other rock bands of then and now is their ability to “move freely through different genres and textures,” Shelter says in an interview. “The moment you start trying to put bumpers on your creativity is the moment you will prevent something really special from coming out. We protect that sentiment as much as we can and that is what allows us to keep people guessing.”
From glam metal to alt-rock to edgy electropop, Starbenders have explored and transformed it all on their albums Heavy Petting and Love Potions. The quartet make it clear they can grip listeners tight and entice them with a sound unique and different from anything else on one’s Spotify playlists. On both records, Starbenders showcase a natural talent at excelling in every genre that influences their music.
Heavy Petting serves as more than just a debut album for Starbenders, instead acting as a time capsule, chock-full of every feature that makes up the group’s musical identity. With songs that range from ‘80s pop balladry (“Detroit”) to something akin to The Cure’s Disintegration era (“Blood”) to ‘90s pop punk (“Diet Soda”), and everything in between, the band flexes their genre fluidity with ease. Anyone who gives this Starbenders record a listen will be taken on a 30 minute journey filled with starstruck satisfaction.
Image courtesy of Sumerian Records
On the other hand, Starbenders’ sophomore album, Love Potions, is a pleasant surprise that takes the band’s glitter punk rock and roll essence and metamorphoses it into an experience best described as cosmic psychedelia. Love Potions is Starbenders cranked up to 11 and everything fans — or the Star Kid Army, as the band lovingly calls their loyal listeners — could ever want in an album. Its sound is just as intricate as its cover art: the record still offers Starbenders’ finessed ‘80s flare (“Holy Mother” and “Cover Me”), but this time tinged with bubblegum pop (“Getting Harder”), grunge (“Something Ain’t Right”), and abundant imagery of space and the supernatural (“B-tches Be Witches”). As a whole, Love Potions is the perfect example of how Starbenders continue to elevate their music: not just by transcending genres and old sounds, but rising above their previous works to create something entirely new.
The band also actively advocates for charitable causes through their music and live performances. One of the main charities they work with is Children of the Night, an organization dedicated to providing “intervention in the lives of children who are sexually exploited and vulnerable to or involved in prostitution and pornography.” During an Audiotree Live session, Shelter describes Children of the Night’s cause as “a big problem here in the States that gets swept under the rug a lot” because of the stigma surrounding child prostitution. In addition to this, on the topic of art being a vehicle for the voice of the silenced, Lecesne told Audiofemme that Starbenders’ job “isn’t to speak for anyone so much as it is to raise the flag and beat the drum on the march towards change.”
Starbenders are paving the future for upcoming artists who feel out of place in a scene dominated by white, cishet males. The band continues to destroy preconceived notions of rock and roll through their advocacy, musical hybridism, and effortless rocking of androgyny (pun intended). Although none of the aforementioned actions are new in the world of rock and roll, Starbenders’ take on all of the above feels genuine and effortless where previous acts have sometimes fallen short. Seven years after their formation, Starbenders are still a band like no other, proving themselves to be the first and only of their kind, and definitely an act to watch out for.