It’s been an interesting journey for Island Hill. The trio met on Jeju in South Korea, a volcanic Island that the three musicians serendipitously ended up being on at the same time, despite their disparate backgrounds. During their time together there, they discovered a shared love for psychedelia and electronic musical tendencies, as well as vintage synths and blues-infused guitars.
What results from their shared love and connection is Strangers in Paradise, the threesome’s debut body of work, which celebrates their time spent collectively on the island and is a vibrant melting pot of musical inspirations and stylistic intricacy. A dazzling mixture of ambience and beauty, it’s a highly impactful collection of songs that draws you into the band’s forward thinking sound and showcases the soaring potential of the group.
The leading single, “Stella” has been further accompanied by a stunning video that is inspired by their meeting on Jeju, with the ethereal sonics of the track matched by the dreamy quality of the visual.
On the video for “Stella”, Island Hill exclusively spoke to Wonderland, saying “The story in the song ‘Stella’ holds several archetypal characters and situations to light, especially ones related to rebirth. The classic Cinderella Story is a tale of rebirth, magic, and self-discovery under moonlight. Lines in the song that repeat the word pseudostella refer to a genus of moth, another connection to transformation and rebirth, but also play on the expression pseudo-stellar, or false star. Relations to these transformative experiences, whether or not we see them in our own lives, are present all around us, from grains of sand shifting in shoreline surf to new stars forming from dust in distant galaxies. The video for ‘Stella’ is an opportunity to use photography to capture these moments of metamorphosis and to reflect the bittersweet emotions that come with change, growth, and rebirth”.
With their debut release cycle showcasing the brevity of their creativity, we look forward to the progression of this exciting band.
Check out the video below.