Just before the snow flew lo these many days ago, rocking songsmith, exceptional guitarist and standout producer Aaron Lee Tasjan announced his next LP Stellar Evolution. The announcement came complete with the a delightful music video by Tasjan’s longtime collaborator Curtis Wayne Millard for the first single “Horror of It All.”
For fans of late-night spooky cinema, B-grade or otherwise, it’s like settling in for a cozy night of low-budget gore on VHS and a junk-food smorgasbord. There's a bully who calls Tasjan and his pals "dickweasels," some Teen Wolf-esque lycanthropy, a school dance, a Mystery Machine-style van, a golden guitar that conducts lightning — what more could you ask for?
The sparkly, smeary synths, persistent lo-fi percussion and growly guitars conjure the sequence in your average splatter flick in which the small town's plucky teens band together to take on the monster. It’s a fascinating juxtaposition to the narrative — no monster here — as Tasjan sings about fighting against the pressure to be something other than his proud, queer, awesome self, as he sings: “Oh my God / The horror of it all / Gotta be myself now / ’Cause everyone else is already taken / So honey, let's shake it.”
Give that a spin — or two, so you can catch more of the inside references like “Kevn Kinney High School,” named for the frontman of Drivin N Cryin; Tasjan was once a member of the band and has since produced an album for them. Then follow him on Instagram for more updates, including preorder details (not announced just yet) for Stellar Evolution, which is out April 12. The tour for said album comes to Third Man Records’ Blue Room on May 2, and tickets are on sale now.
