VIA PRESS RELEASE | In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of their breakthrough album Set Yourself On Fire (SYOF, 2004 via Arts & Crafts), Montreal’s Stars announce they will embark on a select North American tour this fall and release a special 20th Anniversary vinyl reissue on Arts & Crafts arriving in July, which will feature digital bonus tracks such as “Rollerskate” and “Petit Mort” not widely available on other releases.
The album has been lovingly reimagined on 140g opaque red vinyl, housed in a special die cut jacket with printed inner sleeve, 12″ x 24″ pinup poster, and a temporary tattoo featuring the iconic flame design. New liner notes written by album producer Tom McFall also accompany the re-issue. It is available for pre-order HERE. Signed version available via Stars Patreon HERE.
Stars’ Set Yourself On Fire 20th Anniversary live dates begin September 18 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, ahead of a two-night stand at Brooklyn, NY’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. The tour will then work its way to three Canadian dates in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto; after a two-week break, the dates will resume south of the border in California and traverse throughout the west, including a stop in Vancouver.
Artists of effortlessly accessible complication, on Set Yourself On Fire, Stars took our worst fears—both personal and global—and slayed the anxieties with their perfect pop music. Widely lauded as amongst their most ambitious, accomplished, and affecting works of their storied existence, Stars’ Set Yourself On Fire (20th Anniversary Edition) carries the torch of the magical songs that have set so many hearts alight.
Set Yourself On Fire drew international praise from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian, NME, Rolling Stone, Q, Entertainment Weekly, and Spin, amongst many others. The album, also regaled across Canadian music press, was nominated for Alternative Album of The Year at the JUNO Awards in 2005, and certified Platinum in 2006. SYOF has seen continued praise and recognition at its 10th and 15th year anniversary marks—a true testament to the album’s staying power.
Add to that, a longstanding reverence for the way Torquil’s father, Douglas Campbell’s voice ushers in the timeless, anthemic words “when there’s nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire” a now iconic phrase in the band’s discography, at the LP opening of “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”—a telltale and powerful beginning for Stars on that album, as well as decades and decades later. The continued love and fervor for this record and their extensive discography alongside the many career accomplishments; from continuous releases to international tours and festivals, to theatrical stages, all attest to the power of Stars.
Rewinding to 20 years ago, a press release from Arts & Crafts reveals a glimpse into the texture of the musical landscape of that time. The heartbeat and heartache the band experienced in crafting this seminal LP is palpable not only in the songs, but all the words that told the story then.
“By all accounts, the process of creating Set Yourself On Fire, Stars’ third full-length album—for Arts & Crafts, home to their dear friends and sometime collaborators and bandmates Broken Social Scene—played like scenes from The Shining. During one of the coldest winters on record, the soft revolutionaries set up shop in a cabin offered to them by an odd man they’d met in a local pub, a chap named Alan Nicholls. Turned out he used to play in a classic Montreal garage band in the sixties and currently writes tunes for Robert Altman. Over the mixing board in his country home studio, there was a photo of Alan giving John Lennon a hug.
While the snow fell outside, Stars nestled in their cocoon, drank rivers of booze, smoked things they shouldn’t, had bloody arguments, slid down icy hills on the bellies of their snowsuits, kissed and made up and nearly went insane. They steeped themselves in Sam Cooke and the Super Furry Animals, hash cakes and champagne, DuMaurier Lights and library books, the Apostle of Hustle and skating. Serious emo shit went down. When they were done letting themselves completely fall apart, Stars channeled all that cabin feverish intensity into writing brilliant songs. James Shaw, their old pal from Metric, showed up to help record some tracks. They think he survived unscathed.
Our valiant heroes finally returned to Montreal when the world woke up. In May, they invited a fantastic British engineer named Tom McFall to visit, and finished the record, fueled by vegan food from up the street. Tony Hoffer, a fine fellow whose production skills have helped folks like Beck, Grandaddy, Air, and Phoenix make blissful pop albums, lent a hand mixing the record.
Stars started from the roots up with Set Yourself On Fire, pushing and tormenting each other to make their most ambitious and collaborative album yet—this time, Torquil, Amy, Chris, and Evan brought drummer Pat McGee along for the ride. Although Pat’s provided the band’s live heartbeat for the past two years, this is the first recording he’s made with Stars. Sources say he made ice cream and brought utter hilarity to the fold, and all were thankful.”
Patty McGee, recalls of that time, “For four years I’d avoided joining the band. They were nuts; delusional; dysfunctional; alcoholic. The comedy was relentless and debilitating; the heartache steady. Burgeoning metropolis after burgeoning metropolis. Pommes mit mayo; chicken fried chicken. But they just kept pushing. Steely Dan, De La, The Doves, The Dears… more drinking. Alone on the floor in the Motel 6, up super late in the Super 8. We are driving. We are smoking. We are having. East into the sun, West into the sea. Forever focused on the horizon; forever full of heart. We wrote the record in the snow and released it in a flame. Once recorded, resistance was futile. It was time to sign. So I did, and I set myself on fire.”
“Your favorite band from high school” is still doing it all for the fans. Stars stay in a direct relationship with their fans, via Patreon. This year especially will show Patreon-exclusive afterparties for the SYOF shows, along with exclusive merch items, band talks (with surprise guests!) and more. They have introduced an annual membership granting access to all things SYOF in 2024.
