Bus People, the brainchild of singer/keyboardist Aley Waterman and bass/guitarist Scott Sheppard and now a 5-piece indie outfit hailing from Corner Brook Newfoundland, is delighted to release their debut album, Starcade, though Nigel Jenkins’ Milltown Records in early summer of 2024 with the help of ArtsNL and MusicNL. 

The inspiration for Starcade long predates the writing of the album. In 1990s Corner Brook, the Valley Mall – now nearly defunct – had a bustling arcade that now likely lives rent free in the nostalgic minds of many a Corner Brook resident, particularly those who are now in their 30s. It is this unexpected whimsy, this lofi flashing nostalgia, this place where fantasy meets reality and childhood is revisited through a winsome adult framework, that guides the album conceptually and lyrically. In songs like “Starcade”, “Skaters”, “Luck” and “Valentimes”, you can hear the propulsive momentum of teenage summers in small towns, where so much felt possible and so little seemed at stake. In songs like “Elephant”, “Hold”, and “Romance Song”, the band slows it down and offers raw, inquiring songs about love and loss in a style that recalls 80s and 90s bands like Mazzy Star and Portishead. The faster songs, which carry a pop punk sensibility, are also carried by a strong and smooth backbone of deep-seated bass lines, bright synths, and layered female vocalist harmonies. Starcade was recorded and mixed mainly over the year 2022 with Phil Churchill at Ginger Beard Studio in Corner Brook, NL.