Astro is a Chilean indie rock band from Santiago de Chile, formed in 2008.

Astro
Astro - Festival Primavera Fauna 2011
Astro - Festival Primavera Fauna 2011
Background information
OriginSantiago, Chile
GenresIndie rock, indietronica, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, experimental rock
Years active2008–Today
LabelsNacional Records
MembersAndrés Nusser
Octavio Caviares
Nicolás Arancibia
Daniel Varas

History

edit

Formation (2008-2009)

edit

Andrés Nusser and Octavio Caviares met at the Escuela Moderna de Música y Danza in Chile where they were enrolled as students.[1] The other members knew each other from the DJ scene in Santiago.[2] The band formed in 2008 when Nusser agreed to perform at a ski resort in southern Chile in exchange for a free 3-day stay there.[3] Unfortunately, Nusser did not actually have a band, so he formed one with Caviares and members of Moustache!, a duo made up of Nicolás Arancibia and Daniel Varas.[4] The band cites Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Genesis, and MGMT as early influences on their music.[5][6]

In 2009, the band released its first EP titled Le Disc de Astrou. The next year the band performed at Vive Latino, the Mexican music festival.

Astro (2011-2013)

edit

The quartet released its first full-length album, Astro, in 2011. Despite being entirely in Spanish, the album received attention from American music critics. NPR Music featured the album as part of its First Listen series in 2012.[7] Jasmine Garsd called Astro one of her favorite albums, referring to it as "infectiously cheery, lighthearted and danceable." She described them as musical cognates with American bands such as MGMT, Animal Collective, and Passion Pit.

In 2013, Astro performed at Lollapalooza Chicago,[8] Primavera Sound, Mysteryland, and many others festivals.

The song "Panda" was featured on the soundtrack of FIFA 13, the EA Sports video game.[9]

Departure of Andrés Nusser (2016)

edit

In May 2016, Andrés Nusser announced that he would leave the band and that they would go into an indefinite hiatus after their tour on Mexico. Recently in 2020 Astro released a new single.[10]

Members

edit
  • Andrés Nusser - vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Octavio Caviares - drums, percussion
  • Nicolás Arancibia (Lego Moustache) - bass, keyboards, percussion
  • Daniel Varas (Zeta Moustache) - keyboards, percussion

Discography

edit

Albums

EPs

  • Le disc de Astrou (2009)

Singles

  • "Maestro distorsión " (2009)
  • "Ciervos" (2012)
  • " Colombo " (2012)
  • "Panda" (2013)
  • "Hawaii" (2013)
  • "Manglares" (2014)
  • "Caribbean" (2015)
  • "Druida" (2015)
  • "Warrior" (2016)

References

edit
  1. ^ Marisol García. "Biografía". Musica Popular. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  2. ^ Reed Johnson (2013-03-07). "Chile's pop music scene hits a new high, with Astro in its orbit". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  3. ^ Matías Gajardo. "Chilean rock band Astro seeks to thrive with independent style". Infosurhoy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  4. ^ Marisol García. "Biografía". Musica Popular. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  5. ^ Reed Johnson (2013-03-07). "Chile's pop music scene hits a new high, with Astro in its orbit". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  6. ^ Matías Gajardo. "Chilean rock band Astro seeks to thrive with independent style". Infosurhoy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  7. ^ Jasmine Garsd. "First Listen: Astro, 'Astro'". NPR Music. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  8. ^ Michael Lopez (2013-08-05). "Latinos At Lollapalooza 2013: Chile's Astro And RVSB Lit Up The Stage In Chicago". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  9. ^ "Astro - Panda - FIFA 13 Soundtrack video". NME.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  10. ^ "Andrés Nusser deja Astro – CanchaGeneral". canchageneral.com. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
edit