With ‘GOOD TIME,’ DAIISTAR Bolts to the Top
Photo Credit: Janelle Abad
Austin psych rock band DAIISTAR has been too busy to think about their sudden rise. “Up until recently, there hadn’t been much time for us to reflect. The moment the record came out we we were going non-stop,” notes vocalist/guitarist Alex Capistran. Alongside Nick Cornetti on drums, Misti Hamrick on bass, and Derek Strahan on keys, the four started playing music together at the height of the pandemic. After Cornetti reached out to Alex Maas (The Black Angels) with some demos, things snowballed.
Their debut GOOD TIME (which we rated as one of the Best Albums of 2023) was released last fall on London’s Fuzz Club Records. The first vinyl pressing quickly sold out. “Now that we’re home, it's nice to look back at the last few months and see the kind of response the record and the band have been getting. We’re all extremely grateful that Good Time is doing well.”
The album was conceived by Capistran before the band even became a unit. “All the songs were written before the band formed. By the time the group got together, the songs for GOOD TIME had already been chosen,” Capistran explains of the tracklist. “There's a private demo playlist of the album on SoundCloud that I shared with the band. We would get together to figure out how to make those songs work live. We rehearsed those songs from the spring of 2020 until we went into the studio in the summer of 2021,” he says.
Capistran has previously spoken about the band happening naturally. “Forming the band shaped the journey,” he says of the band’s course. “Getting together helped form a clear idea of what we needed to do. We all share the same ambition and it was the first time I felt like I wasn't alone. We wanted the same thing and that’s what started turning wheels.” The band’s desire to reach the same goal ultimately contributed to their success.
DAIISTAR calls the songs on GOOD TIME “a glimmer of light.” The album is a striking contrast to the challenges of the pandemic. In “Purified,” the lyrics reflect the idea of being protected in the comfort of someone else. In “Parallel,” Capistran discusses the difficulty separating reality from fiction, which often comes with being in a relationship. “I think it's just natural to have those feelings regardless of the world around you. I was isolated with someone I deeply care about so it wasn't difficult to write those lyrics. Love still exists in a world that’s falling apart,” he says. During a time of isolation and uncertainty, Capistran effortlessly infuses intimate emotions into his lyrics.
The mind-bending sounds on songs like “LMN BB LMN” and “Tracemaker,” along with Capistran’s hooks make GOOD TIME a standout album. Before the band hit the studio with Alex Maas, Capistran already had an idea of what the album should sound like. “I knew exactly what I wanted it to sound like and when we sent the demos to Alex I felt like he understood it,” he says. “He was able to guide us further in that direction which made our collaboration with him feel so fluid. He is an excellent producer among his many other talents.”
After the album was released, the band hit the road supporting Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, and Dandy Warhols. “Those shows were so much fun, we’ve been friends with The Black Angels for quite some time and we love The Dandy Warhols so we knew we would have a great time,” Capistran comments.
Though the band’s live show captures the essence of the record, Capistran disagrees that it is a direct copy. He explains, “I hear a lot of different things about that and this is what I think; We recorded the record during lockdown. We sat down and worked on those songs for months beforehand and then went into the studio. We tracked them as politely as we would perform them at a rehearsal. Then lockdown ended and we started playing out all the time and by the time the record came out those live songs had developed an attitude,” he says. “I don’t think the album reflects the band's live energy, however. I do like that there is a difference between the record and our live performance. It’s boring when an artist performs and it's exactly like the record. Might as well listen to it in the car.”
DAIISTAR is already anticipating their next move. “We’re going out on an EU/UK tour in the spring in support of the album. We’re looking forward to sharing so much more with everyone soon,” he says.
Go see DAIISTAR live:
Feb 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Mar 20-24 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Festival
May 2-4 - Eindhoven, NL @ Fuzz Club 2024 Fest
May 31 - McGill, NV @ Schellraiser 2024
GOOD TIME is out now via Fuzz Club Records. The album can be purchased on vinyl at Bandcamp. Follow DAIISTAR on Facebook & Instagram.
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