Photo by Thea Boutineau (@theaboutineau)
The first of many to arrive in 2026, Star Print Clad, a Brighton five-piece, stoke the fire with ‘Melanie’. Embracing a classic 70s guitar tone and vocal harmony style, they are by no means shackled to the past, with a fresh indie feel around their songwriting.
Wasting no time with a loose, bounding guitar line and bass groove, we settle into an equally raw, swaying vocal performance. The choruses lift, with more instrumental melodic runs in the guitar, and a wave of beautifully layered vocals, all with that unencumbered lead at the centre. The overdrive is gentle, the movement is light, and it all has a love-drenched sincerity. On top of that, the production is spot on.
The band adds, “The bones of the single were recorded as a live take with all five of us playing around in Salvation Studio’s live room. This allowed us to capture the raw edge and unfiltered energy of our live sonic profile.
During the time Melanie was being penned, I’d just fallen back in love with KoL’s “Aha Shake Heartbreak”, the clash of the guitars, that rasping vocal delivery that winds as it howls until you finally arrive at Caleb’s wavering destination. That sort of attitude is what we wanted to put into this song. We had an old Selmer and a Marshall stack set up, cut down the road for breakfast, came back, cranked it, and the rest is on the record.”
Alongside digital releases, the band are set to share a vinyl-only singles collection, ‘Redback Collection’. Already garnering some tastemaker fans in the short time since their debut and stacking their calendars with exciting support slots, not only is Star Print Clad’s sound warming to listen to, but their attitude is one of ambition.
Check out the track:
