Kristin Kontrol official site | Kristin Kontrol on Facebook | Kristin Kontrol on Twitter | Kristin Kontrol on Instagram | Kristin Kontrol on YouTube | Kristin Kontrol on Subpop.com

(Yes – that is Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls. Her real name is Kristin and you’d better start getting used to it.)
 

The new musical endeavor from Kristin Welchez, (aka Dee Dee, leader of internationally acclaimed rock outfit Dum Dum Girls) is here and it’s called KRISTIN KONTROL.


A mesmeric combination of new wave, R&B, synth pop, and krautrock, it’s a wink to heroes from the past, a nod to contemporaries, and a bold “solo” dive into the future.


It’s a heavily electronic effort that boasts Kristin’s most impressive vocal delivery and widest range of songs to date.


But why the change – you ask?
 
“I wanted to open things up and shed light on significant influences that felt off-limits in Dum Dum land. I don’t want to fight them off anymore. That’d be a drag.”


“The music is so different from anything I’ve ever done—I felt compelled to shed the alter-ego instead of trying to morph Dum Dum Girls into something else. I just want to be real about it. Let ‘Dee Dee’ go back to being my mom, my middle name, and the patron saint of many fun years.
 


So yeah, I’m Kristin … and this is Kristin Kontrol.”
 


The debut longplayer will be released worldwide this spring via Sub Pop.

Starchild & The New Romantic on Facebook | Starchild & The New Romantic on Tumblr | Starchild & The New Romantic on Soundcloud

Bryndon Cook, who records as Starchild, describes his music as “Champion Music for the Heartbroken.” Drawing equally on electro and R&B, with silky sheets of synth cascading over rubbery bass lines, each song spikes lithe vocal melodies with an undeniable twinge of sadness.

Growing up in Prince Georges County, Maryland, Starchild was in the center of decades of music history. Growing up in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, you can harness a great depth of music—Go-Go, Soul, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and especially, Gospel. My roots, he says. Its the birthplace of everyone from Duke Ellington and Marvin Gaye to Mya, Dru Hill and D’Angelo. Starchilds name came from his time in the DMV—I grew up across the street from the NASA Headquarters on Copernicus Drive in Greenbelt, he explains. Thats one of the reasons I adopted the Starchild moniker. The other is George Clinton. When he moved to Atlanta with his family just before 9/11, he was introduced to even more music—it was the time of Usher’s Confessions, OutKast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below and Ciara.

Starchild took the music he’d absorbed during his childhood when he left his home for New York—the first member of his family to do so. Though he was technically pursuing a BFA in acting, eventually his interest in music took over. “I was leaving for New York with a head full of Prince bootlegs and Sade records, basically,” he explains. “I took what I knew, applied it to things I learned at acting school, and started writing songs.”

Starchild’s music is an indication of his deep knowledge and love of music. it moves from laid-back 70s-style funk ballads to woozy R&B to crackling dance music that recalls Ready For the World. Its also an indication of his experience: hes been a touring member of Solange Knowles band since his second year of college, and has performed with her at festivals around the world. Dev Hynes, with whom hed later collaborate, provided early encouragement. Dev never overthinks things in his approach to music, he says. Its great to see someone who, time and time again, can remind you of your ability to: let go. Hes also toured with Kindness, and has collaborated with Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift. “Patrick might have been the first person, outside of my family, to extend the same unconditional love and interest in my future,” he says. It was Wimberly who introduced Starchild to Solange, who instilled another valuable lesson. “She taught me that if you stay true to yourself, you can take all the time in the world to do one special thing, the right way.”

Starchild’s music is that special thing. Reflecting the omnivorousness of one of his heroes, Prince, (“I look at him as a genre. Within the genre of Prince, there is so much to discover”) it swings from sweet and soulful to loose and funky, with every note arranged and performed by Starchild himself. “I always appreciated music that lent a helping hand and said, ‘Hey, are you with me? Because I am with you,’” Starchild explains. “I hope I can do that for someone, somewhere. If I’m lucky.”

NOIA on Facebook | NOIA on Soundcloud | NOIA on Instagram | NOIA on Twitter | NOIA on YouTube

NOIA is the solo project of singer/producer Gisela Fulla. Gisela was born and raised in
Barcelona by a family of activists. She moved to NY and began working as a sound
designer/mixer and music composer for film. She also started producing music with
traces of Tropicalia, leftfield R&B, traditional Spanish melodies and experimental sound design under the name of NOIA, which means “girl” in catalan. She sings in Spanish, English and Catalan.

Her debut EP “HàBITS ̈ came out last November via Cascine Records (US) and Buen Dia Records (MEX). Her LP debut is due summer 2018.

NOIA on IG: @noiagisela

NOIA on Soptify: https://goo.gl/aCXr53

NOIA on Bandcamp (vynils!): https://noiamusic.bandcamp.com/

music vid for NOSTALGIA: goo.gl/Nc8ulg

music vid for ITACA: youtu.be/dM5XeFk5x8U