Stream: Stars, ‘Fluorescent Light’

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Stars (Photo by Shervin Lainez)
Stars (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

Indie-pop bands come and go, and in recent years more have kept coming and coming and coming. Thankfully, Canadian sextet Stars have kept going and going. In October, they released their eighth album, “There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light,” a collection that sees vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell trading off soulful (in their own way), tender (in their own way) and cinematic (in their own way) tales of emotional hits and misses. Stars are unabashed sentimentalists, but rarely in their 16-year career have they succumbed to frivolous ornateness or mawkishness. Maybe it’s the Canadian gene.

The new album was produced by Peter Katis (whose work includes Interpol, the National, Tokyo Police Club and, most recently, L.A.’s the Wild Reeds). Longtime Stars-gazers have proclaimed “Fluorescent Light” to be the band’s best since the 2003-04 tandem of “Hearts” and “Set Yourself on Fire.” It’s hard to argue. What’s certain is that Campbell, Millan and mates Evan Cranley, Chris McCarron, Patty McGee and Chris Seligman have given fans a collection of songs that’s smart, celebratory and warm — and has a relatable tune titled “California, I Love That Name.”

||| Stream: “Fluorescent Light” and “Privilege”

||| Live: Stars perform three nights at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery — Nov. 28 (tickets), Nov. 29 (tickets) and Nov. 30 (sold out).

||| Also: Stream the whole album via Spotify