The official video for “By the Stars” has premiered at Post-Punk.com:

“A swooning pop ballad that reveals the band at its most lush and otherworldly... a slower, more spacious form of grandeur... the band appears suspended in another dimension, performing inside a vision where beauty outlasts fear...”

Many thanks to Alice Teeple, and to everyone who has taken the time to listen, write about and support the song. We're deeply grateful for your thoughtful words.

"...they can head off in all manner of eclectic and exciting new directions and still make music that encapsulates everything that made you love them in the first place." — The Big Takeover, USA

"...the song... possesses a dreamy quality... with a sense of flow and transition instead of feeling constrained... these five minutes of uplifting separation are absolute bliss..." — Aural Aggravation, UK

“...a very different, yet equally sublime offering... if you ever held a torch for Cocteau Twins, then this song will definitely scratch your itch.” — Post-punk Monk, USA

"...casting the whole into a bewitching surreal dimension... to radiate blissful ecstasy under a deep resonating sidereal arch..." — White Light // White Heat, Italy

“...an ethereal meditation on human insignificance in the face of the vastness of the universe... 'By The Stars' conveys the strange peace that arises when we accept that we cannot control the course of everything we love.” — Lacaverna.net, Mexico

"A testament to the band's skill at making the breaking of boundaries sound so natural... like listening to an angel falling to earth and becoming almost mortal." — Analogue Trash, UK

"A flowing journey... an atmosphere that hovers somewhere between dream pop, ethereal wave, and classic darkwave." — Monkeypress, Germany

"A slow-moving ballad filled with longing and quiet wonder... evoking the feeling of staring into a vast night sky while holding onto a fading memory." — Destroy//Exist, Greece

“The interplay between the vocals and guitars is deceptively tight without ever losing the pure dreamy pleasure of either... drawing together moody trad goth, dreampop and shoegaze with a sense of space and pacing...” — I Die: You Die, Canada

“A shimmering new single... lush, slow-burning, and cinematic... an atmosphere that feels suspended between dreampop elegance and nocturnal romanticism.” — Darkenin Heart, Greece

“Some artists write songs. Others seem to build constellations. Octavian Winters belong to this second category.” — Inner Echo Reviews, Italy

I Die: You Die out of Vancouver had some rad words for “By the Stars!”

“Drawing together moody trad goth, dreampop and shoegaze with a sense of space and pacing, it’d be really easy for a piece like this to drift too far out to sea to ever come together, but the interplay between the vocals and guitars is deceptively tight without ever losing the pure dreamy pleasure of either.” 

Mexico's La Caverna reviewed “By the Stars.” Gracias !

“na meditación etérea sobre la pequeñez humana frente a la inmensidad del universo. La canción navega entre folk atmosférico y dream pop con una delicadeza casi cinematográfica, creando la sensación de observar un cielo helado mientras los pensamientos más profundos flotan lentamente hacia la oscuridad”

Thank you to Analogue Trash in the UK for reviewing “By the Stars!”

“The band often explores the further reaches of post-punk in their music, and the rhythm section of the song largely comes from that direction, brooding in tone before smoothly progressing to a lighter feel, and then back. Ria Aursjoen's vocals are more than equal to the task of mastering those tonal shifts: at times ethereal, then doomily romantic, like listening to an angel falling to earth and becoming almost mortal.”

Monkeypress out of Germany reviewed “By the Stars.” Danke!

“Rollende Tom-Toms, schimmernde Gitarrenflächen und der warme, ätherische Gesang von Ria Aursjoen erzeugen eine Atmosphäre, die irgendwo zwischen Dream-Pop, Ethereal Wave und klassischem Darkwave schwebt. Gerade Fans von Cocteau Twins, The Cure oder frühen Shoegaze-Bands dürften sich hier sofort zuhause fühlen.” 

Thank you to Destroy//Exist for the love! Read the full article here.

Thank you Aural Aggravation!

“a soft chiming guitar – wistful and ponderous – contrasts with a darker-sounding Cure-like chorus-soaked bass and rolling tom-led drums which arrive shortly after”

White Light//White Heat featured “By the Stars” as its "Track of the Day." Thank you!

“soul-stirring, mesmerizing ethereal ballad”

Great review of “By the Stars” at Post-Punk Monk!

“The multi-tracked expression vocals of Ria Aursjoen did nothing to break the foreboding spell of the song as they entered the fray, but following a descending fill by drummer Randy Gzebb, everything began to change. The vocal melody of Ms. Aursjoen began to soar as the effulgent guitar changed course and the song began to erupt into shards of light.”

Thank you ReGen! Leipzig, see you NEXT FRIDAY, May 22 at Wave Gotik Treffen!