Been Stellar have dropped a tender-yet-brutal new single in ‘Passing Judgment’. The track has a bleak feel, driven by ferocious bass and topped by an emotive lead vocal. Their shoegaze roots have mostly been left behind, but the hazy distortion that runs throughout the track harks back to the atmosphere of their previous work. Their sound is uniquely theirs, but you can see the connection between their output and previous tour-mates such as Fontaines DC and Shame. “Lyrically I was thinking about why we judge the world around us, and how passing judgment on someone or something is usually rooted in being unsure in oneself,” explains lead vocalist Sam Slocum. The band have announced their debut album, Scream From New York, NY. It’s a gritty, volatile release filled with harsh sounds and nihilism. It releases on June 14th, 2024, via Dirty Hit. -Dan Peeke