Though restrained by lockdown following their spring 2020 formation, Austin psych rockers DAIISTAR hit the ground running after releasing Good Time, their debut LP, in 2023.
The quartet – featuring singer/guitarist Alex Capistran, drummer Nick Cornetti, bassist Misti Hamrick, and keyboardist Derek Strahan – have already showcased at SXSW, performed at the coveted Seattle radio station KEXP, and, in what the band calls a highlight of the year, toured with the Black Angels, the Dandy Warhols, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Austin Chronicle: What does “psych rock” mean to you guys in 2024? Does that genre tag resonate with you personally?
Alex Capistran: I’m pretty accepting of whatever people want to identify us as. I think that just means that we appeal to different crowds. We’ve been called shoegaze and indie and psych, and I think that’s a good thing. Psych rock has been around for a long time, and it comes in waves, and I think we just hit another wave recently. I think it’s a genre that will be pretty consistent throughout time.
AC: As longtime Austinites, how do you feel about playing ACL?
Nick Cornetti: My first concert when I was 13 or 14 was Blink-182, so I’m excited to see Blink-182 again, 20 years later. I forgot they were playing … I got stoked.
Alex Capistran: It’s a milestone to play ACL, and it’s another milestone to headline ACL, so hopefully we’ll get there someday.
AC: You’ve released one new single since the album came out. Are you already working on the next DAIISTAR project?
Alex Capistran: We are writing the next record right now. We’ll probably start demoing soon. I’m doing my own demos here at home – just gathering ideas and bringing it to the band, and together we come up with a way to make the song united as a band.
Nick Cornetti: We’ve had a couple cool remixes come out too. The [“Parallel”] Immersion remix just came out. Colin [Newman] from Wire [and Immersion] did a remix. It’s pretty interesting. He changed it up quite a bit. And then Sonic Boom did one [“Velvet Reality”] … that we put a 7-inch out of. That one’s pretty awesome too.
AC: Is there anything you heard in the remixes that made you listen to your songs differently?
Nick Cornetti: The Immersion remix is very different from the original song. He changed the drums completely; he took the keys out. It’s so different and really cool. He slowed the beat down. It’s a lot different than the album version. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Alex Capistran: We met him at Brighton Psych Fest and we talked to him for a little while, and I was just telling him, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I liked his version so much. I wish I had thought of these things when we recorded the song.
Sunday 13 (Weekend 2 only), 12:10pm, Miller Lite Stage
Keep up with the latest ACL news and follow the Chronicle’s coverage from the fest at austinchronicle.com/acl.
This article appears in October 4 • 2024.