Post-Punk, Shoegaze and Dark Synthwave from New Zealand
Stars and the Underground is the musical project of Auckland, New Zealand based singer songwriter John Mason. (ex Winterland circa 1999)
Formed in 2019, the band has released an EP "Evolution Circle" and two singles to date, "Nosferatu Upon Tyne" (2020) and "Lonely Black Hearts" (2025) both to critical acclaim. The band is currently working on their debut album "Guardians of the Night".
The band has performed live in New Zealand and Australia with a variety of line ups and guest musicians. The current line up is John Mason (Vocals/Guitar) and John McDermott (Drums).
Stars and the Underground's music is a blend of Post-Punk, Shoegaze and Dark Synthwave with influences from bands such as The Cure, The Church, The Mission, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Chameleons, Flying Colors, My Bloody Valentine, Drab Majesty, Twin Tribes and Kælan Mikla.
"Dark Soulful Post Punk from New Zealand…"
— Mick Mercer (UK), the longest running Goth and Post-Punk writer in the world."Moody, atmospheric textured landscapes of sound which wash out like smooth rolling waves…"
— Rev Orange Peel, 13thfloor.co.nz"Stars and the Underground conjure a dark synthwave and shoegaze sound that drifts like cathedral smoke and sways like twilight on the tide. Guitars chime and shimmer with celestial clarity, while basslines brood beneath, steady as sleepwalks. Vocals echo like lost prayers, half-whispered, half-resolved. Drawing from the same windswept well as The Church and The Mission, they summon atmosphere over aggression, beauty over bombast, mood over momentum…"
— Alice Teeple, Post-Punk.com"After a two-year silence, Stars and the Underground are back—louder, darker, and more cinematic than ever. Their new single 'Lonely Black Hearts' marks the first taste of their upcoming album Guardians of the Night, a brooding blend of post-punk, synthwave, and shoegaze that's already turning heads internationally…"
— Nick, EmptySpaces.co.nzSingle • Released April 1st, 2025
Tracklist:
1. Lonely Black Hearts
2. Lonely Black Hearts (Robots In Love Remix)
3. Lonely Black Hearts (Action Ant Remix)
Performed By:
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars
John McDermott - Drums
Recorded and Mixed and Mastered By:
John McDermott @ Arch Hill Studios, Auckland
Remixes by:
Elenor Rayner (Robots In Love)
Ant Banister (Sounds Like Winter/Sequential Zero)
Single • Released August 12, 2020
Tracklist:
1. Nosferatu Upon Tyne
2. Nosferatu Upon Tyne (Robots In Love Remix)
Performed By:
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars
Sean O'Kane Connolly - Keyboards/Vocals
Cat Veen - Keyboards/Vocals
Ario Kimber Manufui - Bass/Vocals
John McDermott - Drums
Recorded and Mixed By:
John McDermott @ Arch Hill Studios, Auckland
Mastered By:
Simon Polinski @ Hesius Dome, Melbourne
Included on: UnObscured Comp Vol 2 2020
Lonely Black Hearts - First single off the album Guardians of the Night