Octavian Winters release dream pop ballad ‘By the Stars’ ahead of Wave-Gotik-Treffen
Octavian Winters
San Francisco dark alternative/post-punk band Octavian Winters have just released “By the Stars” via Stratis Capta Records. The digital single was produced by William Faith and arrives ahead of the band’s appearance at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany.
“By the Stars” follows the March 2026 single “Elements of Air”. This new track moves more toward the band’s dream pop and ethereal darkwave side, with slower percussion, call-and-response vocals and melodic keyboard layers.
Lyricist and frontwoman Ria Aursjoen says: “The song has the feel of a sea voyage. The images for me were always ones of the vastness of the sky and the sea, and the feeling of the magnificent beauty of the world. The call and answer vocals are like two people calling back and forth across a valley. It’s meant to encompass that feeling of transcendence when you take a meta view of life and of the natural world, and just fall into the beautiful patterns of it all.”
Drummer Randy Gzebb adds: “I remember playing an all-ages show in Northern California, looked up mid-song and saw these two young goth girls at the front of the stage with tears streaming down their faces. That moment told me everything I needed to know about ‘By the Stars’. You know a song matters when it reaches people like that.”
“By the Stars” is available via Bandcamp, Spotify and most major digital music stores.
Octavian Winters perform at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig on Friday, May 22, 2026. The band also just completed an April 2026 U.S. West Coast tour with Pink Turns Blue.
About Octavian Winters
Octavian Winters formed in San Francisco in 2022. The lineup consists of Ria Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards, Stephan Bryan Salit on guitar, Randy Gzebb on drums and Jay Denton on bass. In late 2021, Gzebb and Salit began writing after discussing a publishing deal for their earlier project Thrill of The Pull. Aursjoen joined the sessions in early 2022, and Denton completed the lineup soon after.
The band first worked as a recording project because live venues were still limited at the time. William Faith, known for Faith and the Muse, The Bellwether Syndicate, Christian Death and The March Violets, became the producer for the early material. Their first single “Ondine” appeared in March 2023, followed by “Undertow” in August 2023 and “Surreal” in September 2023.
Octavian Winters released the five-track EP “The Line or Curve” on October 13, 2023 via Stratis Capta Records. The EP includes “Ondine”, “Undertow”, “Surreal”, “Velveteen” and “Nebula”.
In 2024, Octavian Winters released “Nebula / Velveteen (Mark Pistel Remix)”. That same year, Ria Aursjoen also launched her solo project Aursjoen with “Nytår” and the William Faith-produced EP “Strand”, which included guitar contributions from Stephan Bryan Salit.
In 2025, Aursjoen recorded guest vocal work on The Funeral March material, contributing additional vocals to “It All Falls Apart”. She also appeared in the video for “Stars at Night”. Octavian Winters then released “Hermine” on August 12, 2025 and “Saints of Absolution” on October 1, 2025 via Stratis Capta Records.
“Elements of Air” followed on March 25, 2026. Like the recent singles, it lists William Faith for production, recording, mixing and mastering at 13 Studio in Chicago. “By the Stars” is the next step towards the band’s next EP, planned for summer 2026.
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