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Album: Saturn Dayz and HEAVEN ON URF
Artist: BLACKSTARKIDS
Label: Dirty Hit
I discovered BLACKSTARKIDS in November of 2022 (two years ago. . .what.) when they opened for The 1975. I immediately loved their song “Frankie Muniz” but listened to them on and off until I was reintroduced to their new album a few weeks ago. Wanting to check up on how my periodically favorite band was doing, I looked at their Instagram and, to my dismay, found that their album HEAVEN ON URF was the second part of their new release, Saturn Dayz and that they were going on an indefinite hiatus.
It’s hard to identify a specific sound with which to identify these two albums other than the fact that the albums sound unequivocally like BLACKSTARKIDS. They pull from many influences, being called “a wave of 90s nostalgia reinterpreted for a new generation” by the blog Ones To Watch. I listened to HEAVEN ON URF twice, once when it came out and once to understand it as a companion to Saturn Dayz. Saturn Dayz pulls influence from trap beats, jazz, The™ 90s hip-hop sound, synth-pop for the ages, and arguably, Elton John. The band shifts back and forth from indie pop and R&B in terms of genre and flirts with EDM, almost making it feel like you’re a character running through a space-themed video game. The album is littered with funny adlibs and satire about wellness culture, conservatism, and cultural commentary that feels distinctly Gen Z in its dissatisfaction with oppressive systems. The theme of escaping Earth to Saturn is introduced and continued throughout HEAVEN ON URF. The album follows a female protagonist who arrives on Saturn, where “every black person comes to die,” only to be eventually sent back to Earth. Standout songs were “EMANCIPATION OF STEVIE WONDER,” “BLACK CHILDREN,” “LOVE IS A MOSHPIT,” and “BOYZ GO 2 JUPITER.” “EMANCIPATION OF STEVIE WONDER” references his own song “Saturn” which is where the idea of escaping to Saturn in times of unrest originated from, and BLACKSTARKIDS’ song is a searing cultural commentary on white appropriation of Black culture. “BLACK CHILDREN” discusses the anger that BLACKSTARKIDS felt growing up while facing discrimination and is a direct call to activism. “LOVE IS A MOSHPIT” feels like that one GIF of the kid in sunglasses dancing in the club and has one of my favorite outros of all time. “BOYZ GO 2 JUPITER” is the first song I heard off the album and works as the emotional heart of the album, telling a story of friendship and loss. Special shout out to “UFO.”
HEAVEN ON URF differs slightly in structure, as it uses a recurring radio DJ to narrate and expand on the story of the girl who went to Saturn only to be sent back to Earth. HEAVEN ON URF starts with more drive behind it than Saturn Dayz, with themes of artist exploitation and discrimination as independent Black artists in the music industry being heavily explored. The satirical elements are a continuation of its older sibling, and the humor is just as good, if not sharper. There is also the introduction of the “controversial” (fictional) figure Maggie Harrison, who brought to light the idea of Black people ascending to Saturn once they died. She has the persona of a serious writer and theorist who was exploited and put under a conservatorship by her white manager, commenting on unjust dynamics within the music industry.
My favorite songs on the album were “ETERNAL BLISS,” “ART OF INDUSTRY POLITICS,” and “SATURNGURL45 + JELLYFISH.” “ETERNAL BLISS” is a vibey, jazz-infused song with an outro that comes swinging, stating, “You are not paranoid. Two years inside your home did not have a negative effect on mental health, and you do not need therapy. You need a gun,” spinning off to continue the satire on the lack of gun regulation in the United States. “ART OF INDUSTRY POLITICS” is a beautiful expression of anger and regret regarding the struggle of breaking into the music industry as a Black artist and having to pander to white executives (and audiences), set against a waterfall of synths. Saturn is talked about as an escape but is still tainted by capitalism and individualism. “SATURNGURL45 + JELLYFISH” is the longest song of both albums and is set over more of a trap beat before the song shifts halfway through and the beat is slowed, showing the perspectives of SATURNGURL45 and JELLYFISH. Saturn is panned as a positive escape here, and at the end, the DJ points out the end might not be that bad and “we gotta keep hope for the future. Because the future is all we have.” Never forget hope is radical.
Saturn Dayz and HEAVEN ON URF are the perfect closers to the saga that is BLACKSTARKIDS, no matter how upsetting it is that such a unique band is coming to an end. It ultimately feels vaguely reductive to try and identify who BLACKSTARKIDS sounds the most similar to. That being said:
Sounds like:
The 1975
Flower Boy & later Tyler, The Creator
Rachel Chinouriri
Coco & Clair Clair
Recommended Tracks:
Gonna be that person and tell you to listen to both albums in their full.
Reviewer’s Name: Kelsey Lind
Date of Review: November 16, 2024
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