About

The duo comprises Charlie Howell and Gavin Chappell-Bates, who performed together for over ten years in various bands, including Bokaata, Plus Guest and Up & Atom. Charlie devised the concept of Star Pixel, with a clear vision for a musical project which would blend various genres, most specifically grunge and EDM. After a barren creative period, Gavin was invigorated by the idea and the pair quickly began assembling a large collection of songs. Working remotely from one another at a time when they were unable to meet up or perform, they feverishly wrote, recorded and demoed separately, bouncing ideas of one another, in a perfect collaboration and fusion of ideas and styles.

Of the original concept, Charlie said:

I’ve always been interested in bands that work outside genres, or crossover between styles, and wanted to see what would happen if I combined the grunge guitar sounds of the 90s with contemporary electronic beats and production.

16 songs were written for the project, with ten making it onto the final album. They cover a wide range of themes including mental health, obsession, escape, the environment and the rise of technology. The first single to be released from the project, ‘The Circle’, stemmed directly from the situation that the songs were written and recorded in.

Of the song, Gavin says:

I wanted to write something positive, uplifting and hopeful, which talked about our shared humanity, what unites us not what divides. Because underneath we are all the same, regardless of whether we are musicians or Presidents.