Caleb L´Etoile "Starling"

Sounds from the USA

16/10/2025 |

Caleb L’Etoile’s “Starling”—the lead single from his forthcoming Halloween album PS—is a masterclass in atmospheric dread wrapped in post-punk elegance. Opening with a guitar riff that buzzes like a swarm of flies and anchored by a hypnotic, quarter-note bass drum pulse, the track conjures a nocturnal world where Jim Morrison’s poetic swagger collides with Ozzy Osbourne’s gothic menace. L’Etoile’s vocals glide with crooner-like control, yet simmer with an undercurrent of violence and unease, drawing clear inspiration from the visceral delivery of Daughters and the lyrical intensity of mewithoutYou. Though he keeps the narrative deliberately vague, the song pulses with tension, portraying a devil not as a mythic fiend but as something eerily human—a subtle, chilling twist that deepens its horror.

True to L’Etoile’s reputation as a genre-fluid storyteller, “Starling” feels less like a song and more like a short film scored for the uncanny. As a Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, he crafts miniature sonic universes where indie rock, post-punk, and DIY punk sensibilities intertwine with literary flair and emotional rawness. PS, conceived as a horror anthology in album form, promises a collection of self-contained “little horror movies,” and “Starling” sets the tone perfectly: elegant, unsettling, and impossible to forget. With influences ranging from Arthur Russell’s experimental warmth to Modest Mouse’s eccentric grit, L’Etoile continues to defy categorization—proving once again that his greatest strength lies in making the strange feel intimate, and the intimate feel haunted.