Press and Reviews
Chicago HOB review - August 2007
Atlanta show review - October 2007
New pop-rock band, AbsentStar is no "gimmick"
by Rachel Douglas September 19, 2007
AbsentStar, a new pop-alternative rock band out of Chicago delivers more than a candy-coated sound for their freshman release Sea Trials. AbsentStar (Canvasback Music/ Columbia Records)Out on their first North American tour, they'll play the HiFi Concert Club in Lakewood, tomorrow, Thursday, September 20 at 8 p.m. Showcasing a sound that's more rock than pop, the band is sure to bring a refreshing sound to all those radio-music addicts burnt out on the sugar-pill pop sound. "We love melodies and lyrics," says Derek Ingersoll, lead singer of AbsentStar. "We're not that interested in gimmicks."
Shortly after forming in 2004, Chicago-based five-piece AbsentStar teamed up with with local producer CS Gladfelter to record the ambitious debut album, To All The Buy In. They gigged around the city to gain their sea legs, but it was a flawless performance at this year's SXSW that fortified AbsentStar's reputation as a pop-rock band on the roll. The success of that performance helped to spawn a slew of press and helped gain the unsigned band some support at alternative radio stations nation wide. To All That Buy In is a collection of morbid pop-rock tracks that grab you by the gut and force you to appreciate the band's subtleties. Upbeat rhythms help to power through the often depressing ambiance, making the journey through the album an eclectic clash between a progressive tempo and a series of down-trotten melodies. The band has mastered a style of edgy pop-rock not unlike that produced by early Radiohead, exhibiting a certain depth in both their lyrics and melodies that set them apart from the slew of bands fighting for air time these days. AbsentStar are aggressive in their approach to songwriting and the end result is something equally artistically sound and commercially viable. Opposed to relying on the ever popular keyboard accents, the band goes for the big guitar sound and in doing so, produces a series of tremendously catchy riffs that have the hint of a guitarist raised on Led Zeppelin. The band's debut album consists predominantly of a series of honest and sincere ballads, which give frontman Derek Ingersoll an opportunity to command the band with his bold, soaring vocals. AbsentStar is perhaps the next big band out of Chicago to bask in the national spotlight. In any case, whether it's with this album or the next, AbsentStar are a band destined for success. Keep them on your radar.
-Reviewed by Drew Hudson
- The Tripwire 9/4/2005