After more than two decades apart, Belly is back and hasn’t lost a step.
It’s rare that a band’s reunion album can match the hype. The more time has passed, the harder it is to recreate the magic you once had. Unless you’re Belly. Although the last record from the four-piece came out in 1995, “Stars Align” is one of their tightest, sharpest songs. When that buzzing guitar riff cuts in, it transports you, bringing an alien touch to Tanya Donelly’s excellent vocals.
About the song itself, Donelly said, “‘Stars Align’ was a dark horse that we kept coming back to in the writing stage of the album, reinventing and restructuring it. It was nearly left behind a couple of times, but we knew we could get this one to a good place if we kept at it, and it finally came together in the 11th hour before recording. This has been one of my favorites, even in its awkward stages.”
At this rate, Belly’s third LP, DOVE, looks to match the power and beauty of their two 90s albums. You can judge for yourself when it arrives on May 4.