‘You Are A Star’: Shiny bright new Jenn Vix collab with A Flock of Seagulls’ Ali Score

Announced a few weeks ago on the trail of her most recent topical single ‘PTSD’, Rhode Island-based artist Jenn Vix is releasing the single ‘You Are A Star’, riding the wave of retro-styled synthpop. And what a better partner could she have selected for her new offering than the founder of one of the founding fathers of new wave – in this case, her partner-in-sound is Ali Score, the original drummer of legendary Grammy-winning new wave – synthpop band A Flock Of Seagulls. A very cool track, now we get to enjoy the fab 80s’ inspired video, which also features Score in action after a lengthy hiatus from the music scene. What can we say? Welcome back Ali – glad to hear this new collaborative output.

Why are we not surprised? With Vix’s book of collaborations reading something like a Who’s Who in Music, Ali Score is the latest addition following a bright shared sonic history with such legendary artists as The Cure’s Reeves Gabrels (he also was part of David Bowie’s band and Tin Machine), John Ashton (Psychedelic Furs), Andy Anderson (The Cure, Iggy Pop, Hawkwind), Danny Chavis (The Veldt),Marco Pirroni (Adam Ant, Rema Rema, The Models, Sinead O’Connor) and Dirk Ivens (Absolute Body Control, The Klinik and Dive), as well as Rodney Anonymous (The Dead Milkmen).

This release sees the legendary drummer return to music after a lengthy hiatus, putting to work the technique that helped A Flock of Seagulls become one of the most influential bands of their era, blazing the way for new wave and synthpop, becoming a Top-40 band with numerous hit songs and a Grammy to their credit, not to mention their enigmatic presence and awe-inspiring sound, which many artists continue to emulate even today.

“Well, ‘You Are a Star’ is a love song. It’s a tribute to someone who worked as an astronomer, and an astrophysicist. The music happened very late at night, as I was sitting in front of the keyboard, practicing, and then the lyrics drifted into my mind shortly after I wrote the music…. We’re all made of stardust,” says Jenn Vix.

As with her latest single ‘PTSD’, which offers a glimpse into her personal experience with the diagnosis and life with this disorder, Vix worked with Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Chris Gehringer (Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Lady Gaga, Twenty One Pilots, St. Vincent).

Jenn Vix explains how this collaboration came to be: “When I was a kid, I moved to NYC from Miami. One of the most wonderful things about NYC at the time, was the record shops located around the city. I would spend my weekends crate digging, and finding new music. One of my friends at a shop downtown played me a single titled “Talking” by A Flock of Seagulls, that he got from the UK. I couldn’t even buy it at the time because there was only one copy in the shop. I was amazed, because I’d never heard anything like it! A little while later, I saw the video for ‘I Ran’ on MTV and, at that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I also wanted to one day play music with the drummer of A Flock of Seagulls, and here I am now, working with him! It’s a dream come true!”

“I got the conversation going with Ali through a mutual friend, who works on the band’s sites and social media pages, and we took it from there. I was one of the first fans of the band here in the states! Ali is not only a brilliant and highly skilled drummer, but he’s an incredibly kind and caring person. I consider him not only a collaborator, but a dear friend.”

Launching her musical career in Rhode Island, she cut her teeth in NYC in her teens, crossing paths with the likes of Iggy Pop, her first experience as a vocalist being with 1980s one-off band Disco Donut (with Adam Horovitz of The Beastie Boys and singer-songwriter Nicole Willis). A decade later, Vix broke out on the national scene, her self-released LP received a glowing 3.5-star review in Rolling Stone, who wrote, “Vix sounds perpetually enraptured. And the Rhode Island multi-instrumentalist has reason to be. Her music–clear, simple melodies awash in echo–is all dreaminess and shuddering, and from inside its swirl, her voice wafts up”.

As an indication of her ever-evolving approach to her craft, in recent years, Vix has been performing both as a solo artist and also as vocalist-drummer (on an electronic drum kit) in Boston-based post-punk / electronic rock duo Feeney Vix.

As of February 25, ‘You Are A Star’ will be available online everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and Amazon. You can also find Jenn Vix on TikTok.

CREDITS
Written, arranged and produced by Jenn Vix
Music, lyrics, synths, guitar and vocals by Jenn Vix
Drums by Ali Score
Recorded in Newport, RI and Ocala FL by Jenn Vix and Big Andy
Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound
Video by JFIVENINE Media

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