STARFLAKE
photo by Andrea Escobar
Austin’s Starflake is a psychedelic dance project led by singer, bassist, and producer Jackie O’Brien, co-founder of The Bright Light Social Hour. The sound lives where high-energy Austin psych rock, sensual Latin avant-pop, and funky New Orleans breakbeats collide – raw, sweaty, and built for surrender. Blurring the line between lucid dream and dancefloor ritual, Starflake channels deep bass, ecstatic release, and a fearless, surreal sense of play.
Their latest double single, “Bajo La Luna / Starflake,” pushes further into that dream logic: a Spanish-language psychedelic dub odyssey driven by slow, booty-dripping drums, sub-heavy bass, and shimmering melodica. “Bajo La Luna” unfolds like a surreal fever dream – Jackie is kidnapped for a surprise bachelor party that spirals into a moonlit strip club performance, culminating in an absurd, mythic mishap. Equal parts humorous and hypnotic, its vivid imagery drifts through late-night, psychedelic rap passages that feel suspended in time.
The release follows “I Would Fuck Myself,” an electro-sexual future-funk anthem of radical self-adoration – deadpan, shameless, and impossible not to move to – accompanied by a jaw-dropping video selected for the Berlin Music Video Awards. Known for boundary-pushing visuals and live shows that detonate into instant dance parties, Starflake operates with the kind of confidence you’re not supposed to say out loud.
The project is powered by the feral grooves of drummers Zac Catanzaro and Juan Alfredo Ríos, alongside the slippery electro-funk chemistry of New Orleans collaborators Ben Nelson and Alex Holeman. A debut full-length album is coming soon.
“Jackie… presenta ahora su faceta más experimental al frente de Starflake, un proyecto de post-punk tropical que mezcla bajos vibrantes, atmósferas seductoras y energía punk.” –Playlist Magazine
“The visual accompaniment brings the audio manifesto to a surrealistic carnival… one of the strangest and most captivating works of the year.” –Voxwave Magazine
“The band is the result of a confluence of super talented people mixing it up, working passionately on their craft, refusing to stay in some designated lane… their music is experimental, tip-toeing along the edge of avant-garde, infusing elements of jazz, funk and Latin pop.” –Cosmic Clash
“The freedom with which they incorporate electro-funk, Latin pop, and cumbia is captivating. They subtly use what might be called ‘mutant disco,’ adding an adventurous twist to their dance-punk sound… discovering your deeper self hiding in the guise of infatuation.” –Niche Music Japan
Links:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/starflake
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starflakemusic
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starflakemusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@starflakemusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44aeYKG1jUDuRgcNtxTLzs?si=rdpkyjvmRr6Rixd8o0c3PQ
