← Pitchfork Paris 2026

Emily Moales writes compact, mid-tempo songs around acoustic guitar, piano, bass and dry drums, with a flexible voice that can sound plainspoken, theatrical or softly doubled. The fuller Highway to Hell material adds electric guitar, saxophone and percussion without sanding away the warped, homemade character of her earlier recordings.

More about Star Moles

Moales began recording as Star Moles in New Hampshire in 2017 before settling in Philadelphia and joining the orbit of Kevin Basko’s Historic New Jersey Recordings collective. After releases through Historic New Jersey and Earth Libraries, she signed to Dead Oceans in October 2026, which is giving Highway to Hell its first vinyl edition.

A story

She recorded Snack Monster’s acoustic-guitar and vocal foundations to cassette on a Tascam 234 at Kevin Basko’s childhood home in New Jersey.

Playing

• 2026-11-07 · Pitchfork Avant-Garde · Supersonic Records · Supersonic Records
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Labels

Start here

• Highway to Hell (2026) · Historic New Jersey Recordings
  Her clearest balance of melodic folk-pop, lo-fi grain and everyday apocalypse.
• Snack Monster (2025) · Earth Libraries
  Cassette-recorded courtly-love songs with spare guitar and warbling vocals.
• Three Chimes, At Silent Palace! (2024) · Historic New Jersey Recordings
  A sprawling bridge between her fantasy concepts and Philadelphia ensemble sound.

Worked with

• Kevin Basko frequent producer and Historic New Jersey collaborator

For fans of

Arthur Russell, Enya, Kate Bush, Ariel Pink, Foxygen

Official links

Pitchfork ParisBandcampInstagramSpotifyYouTubeWebsiteDiscogs

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