About
Starbenders have been quietly building one of the more interesting rock catalogs to come out of Atlanta since 2013, blending indie and pop sensibilities into a sound that nods hard at classic rock while staying firmly in the present. Fronted by Kimi Shelter, whose guitar work and vocals anchor the band, they hit a real stride when they signed to Sumerian Records in 2019. Their 2020 album Love Potions captured that ambition best, with Shelter describing the recording process to Classic Rock Magazine as both beauty and pain, a record the band made with real intention to honor the ghosts of rock and roll past. Take Back the Night, released in September 2023, pushed them further into the mainstream, with The Game reaching number 39 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay charts, their first charting single. The album also features a cover of Alice Cooper's Poison, which says a lot about where their heads are at. After a lineup change in early 2024 that brought in drummer Qi Wei, the band kept moving, releasing new singles and eventually their fourth studio album The Beast Goes On in 2026.
