Minneapolis is a city with a storied musical map, but the nine-piece collective Hallaballoo are currently drawing their own lines across it. Their latest offering, ‘Starry Skies’, is a sprawling five-minute journey that eschews the frantic pace of modern pop in favour of a slow-burn emotional payoff. It is a track that prioritises texture and patience, functioning as a bridge between the disciplined craft of the studio and the unpredictable energy of their live performances.
The song opens with an upbeat, rhythmic guitar motif that acts as a steady pulse for the more ethereal elements to cling to. As the track develops, it welcomes tempered percussion and delicate piano flutters, eventually giving way to soulful, blues-inflected vocals. It feels remarkably cinematic, yet the foundation remains firmly rooted in a pocket-heavy groove. This balance is no accident; the band recorded their upcoming fourth album, ‘Gravity’, at the historic Pachyderm Studios—the same walls that housed Nirvana during the ‘In Utero’ sessions. The influence of such legendary environments, including stints at Studio in the Country and London Bridge Studios, is evident in the record’s organic, lived-in warmth.
Guitarist and producer James Gross notes that the band consciously avoids over-polishing their ideas: “We try to leave space in our songs. Sometimes the best parts of a track are the moments that happen when nobody’s trying to control the outcome.” That lack of internal friction allows ‘Starry Skies’ to shift naturally from floating psychedelic melodies to more robust rock overtones. It reflects a lyrical theme of perspective and the eventual, necessary choice to leave the past behind. As the band puts it, the track is about “Looking up, realising how big the world is, and making to decision to move on.”
While the studio version is a polished piece of indie-rock, the collective—comprising Gross, Robert Lee, Al Berg, Kyle Primus, David Kittelson, Aaron Short, Max LaRock, Travis Johnston, and Mike Wolfram—is clearly itching to take these arrangements back to the stage. David Kittelson explains their genre-fluid approach simply: “If a song wants to lean toward funk or folk or psychedelia, we let it go there.” With a tour slated for 2026–2027, these compositions are likely to shift and grow even further. ‘Starry Skies’ is a confident, grounded glimpse of a band that understands the value of a deep breath.
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