Star Moles is the “sci-fi DIY wi-fi band” of Emily Moales, a New Hampshire native posted up in Philly. Last week she followed up her lo-fi 2025 mini-album Snack Monster with a more produced offering called Highway To Hell that merges ’70s folk-pop aesthetics with 2020s Bandcamp sensibilities. Friend of the site Josh Terry recommended it in his No Expectations newsletter, and now I’m recommending it to you.
Moales writes with the melancholic whimsy of Joni Mitchell. You can tell she’s put a lot of thought into her songs — the clever lyrics, the interesting arrangements — but they’re loose and playful in a way that makes them feel like she’s coming up with them off the dome. Sometimes the words are silly in an almost Friedberger-esque way: “You just messed with the postmaster general/ The four-star postmaster general.” Just as often they’re plainspoken and poignant: “Sometimes I think I’m making a friend when I see a smiling face/ But then it comes to an end/ They get whisked away/ And I never get a name/ I’ll have to wait and hope we meet again.” I especially like “Overdog,” the one where she sings “I need you like I need a hole in my head/ I need a hole in my head/ How else could I sing?” and “What does the underdog know about what overdogs do?”
Kevin Basko aka Rubber Band Gun produced Highway To Hell, and most of the instruments are played by either him or Moales. Sam Sullivan chipped in some guitar, and Jem Seidel played percussion on “Skip The Party.” Every song is a charmer here, and their combined powers are significant. Stream the album below.
Highway To Hell is out now via Historic New Jersey Recordings. Buy it here.
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