PanSTARRS has come a long way since their debut EP “Nothingness” (published by Anywave in 2013), when the band was the solo project of Cairo-based musician Youssef Abouzeid.
Since then Youssef was joined by two other musicians, redefining PanSTARRS as a rock’n’roll band performing live and writing new material in the studio. The trio released two other LPs by their own means, dropping in the meantime English for Arabic lyrics. Their sound draws from post-punk, electronic music and krautrock to express a balanced sense of organized chaos within intermittent love melodies.
In their new album, to be released on Anywave, Youssef’s melancholic vocals are balanced by vivid distorted guitars and a severe rythmic section: a bridge between the Feelies’ naturalist punk-pop and DNA’s mercurial noise rock.
Reviews
—
The Quietus
“Abouzeid’s singing in echoing Arabic is now central to the group’s sound. Every word is soft around the edges, the language’s inherent breathiness giving off something potently ecstatic.”
Scene Noise
“PanSTARRS managed to put out an Arabic record that delivers a modern, fresh and contemporary interpretation of alternative rock and grunge.”
Filter Magazine (US)
“His vocals are a wonderful asset, creating a beautiful balance between upbeat techno and delicate indie tones.”
Bandcamp Daily
“This solo project-turned-experimental rock band sounds like it could have drifted into orbit from some distant planet. (…) Youssef Abouzeid shares existential insights and intimate entreaties in a dispassionate murmur, backed by cranking-and-snapping drum loops.”
Nothingness, digital EP (Anywave æ, 2013)
Wavecore – v/a: track #8: “Own Prison” (Anywave æ, 2013)
Yestoday, digital EP (self-published, 2014)
Ghaby Ghaby Ghaby, digital EP (self-published, 2015)
PanSTARRS, Cassette & digital, LP (Anywave æ, 2019)
