Stars and the Underground release shoegazing single ‘Echolocation’ with Talmar’s Hannah Berry
New Zealand post-punk band Stars and the Underground released the single “Echolocation” on May 22, 2026, featuring Hannah Berry of Talmar on guest vocals.
Stars and the Underground, the New Zealand project of Auckland musician John Mason, released the single “Echolocation” on May 22, 2026. The Stars and the Underground “Echolocation” single features guest vocals from Hannah Berry of the Auckland dark-electronic project Talmar, and is the second single trailing the band’s forthcoming debut album “Guardians of the Night”.
Stars and the Underground bring a sound that mixes post-punk, shoegaze and dark synth wave, with chiming guitars, low basslines and reverb-heavy vocals. John Mason handles vocals, guitars and bass, while John McDermott plays drums and produces.
Stars and the Underground revisit ‘Echolocation’ with Talmar
“Echolocation” is a reworked version of a song the band first issued on the limited “Evolution Circle EP” in 2019. For the 2026 single, the track was re-recorded with Hannah Berry of Talmar added on vocals. John McDermott recorded, mixed and mastered it at Arch Hill Studios in Auckland. The single follows “Lonely Black Hearts”, released on April 1, 2025, and both tracks point to the album “Guardians of the Night”.
“While we have faced various challenges, I believe this has ultimately contributed to a stronger final product,” Mason stated. “‘Echolocation’ is a testament to this, as we initially introduced the concept in the limited release of the Evolution Circle EP. We chose to revisit the song, highlighting John McDermott’s exceptional drumming and production skills, along with Hannah’s enchanting contributions that elevate the track to new ethereal heights.”
The video for “Echolocation” runs on the band’s official YouTube channel:
About Stars and the Underground
Stars and the Underground is a New Zealand project built around Auckland musician John Mason, who founded it in 2019. The current line-up pairs Mason on vocals, guitars and bass with John McDermott on drums and production; McDermott records the project at his Arch Hill Studios in Auckland. According to the band, Mason previously played in the New Zealand goth-rock group Winterland and McDermott in the Headless Chickens.
The project debuted in 2019 with the “Evolution Circle EP”, which carried the first version of “Echolocation”. After a gap, the band returned on April 1, 2025 with the single “Lonely Black Hearts”, issued with remixes as the first single from the forthcoming debut album “Guardians of the Night”. “Echolocation”, released on May 22, 2026 with Hannah Berry of Talmar, is the second single drawn from that album. Talmar is the solo project of Auckland visual artist Hannah Berry, who makes dark electronic music.
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