Cittàgazze experiment on impactful debut record, "Stokes' Aster"
Formed nearly two years ago but just now putting out their debut album Stokes’ Aster, Cittàgazze have gone above and beyond on their first major release. Read on for an in-depth look at the record, as well as a background on the new band.
Currently based out of Mobile, Alabama, Cittàgazze is the recording project started by Andrew McCarthy (Guitar, vocals, bass, drums, and synth) and Michael Beatty (Guitar, vocals, bass, and drums). Now officially a five piece with Josh Vaughn, Matt Howl, and Sam Anthony added on, the group has been working tirelessly on their now released debut album, Stokes’ Aster. Including elements of lo-fi, dream pop, and so much more included, they caught our attention instantly and we’ve been nothing but impressed through our multiple listens.
Coming in at a whopping 14 songs, spanning just near 50 minutes, they’ve taken form and inspiration from some of the genre’s most notable acts like Wild Nothing, DIIV, Alex G, and plenty more. In the process though, there’s no denying whatsoever that Cittàgazze has etched out something completely unique on their own. Through inspired instrumentation, chill inducing vocals, and innovation, Stokes’ Aster has become this immersive art piece that feels bigger than just a normal album. Shoegaze in our eyes is the forgotten genre that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, but the entirety of the record not only brings it back but gives a glimpse into the future as well.
A major highlight for us though was the real importance of the production and how nicely it comes through on a nice set of headphones. The subtleties in the atmosphere of these songs is borderline transcendent and Stokes’ Aster feels like a very mood driven album as well. At times it definitely felt like the density of it all was hard to capture through the initial listen, but now having had the opportunity to come back for more, you start to discover those things you might have missed the first time around. That’s a serious plus in our experience, mainly based on the fact that this isn’t one note music, rather so complex that it begs you to come back for more. In that case, we’ll be doing that for the foreseeable future.
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