Believe it or not, it’s been nine years since I See Stars‘ last album, the fan-beloved Treehouse. In 2023, the electronicore pioneers dropped some tracks: “Anomaly,” “Drift,” “are we 3ven,” and “D4MAGE DONE,” then followed with “SPLIT” in 2024. All five appear on THE WHEEL, the self-proclaimed “Crash-Pop” (mix of electronic, metalcore, and pop) band’s sixth full-length, out now on Sumerian Records. At its core, THE WHEEL is an embrace of chance and a triumph carved out of vocalist Devin Oliver’s healing journey in the past few years.
Let’s talk more about what we mean by ‘healing’ for a sec. Not just figuratively, but in reality for Oliver, who spent years battling intracranial hypertension—daily headaches so severe he could barely function day to day, let alone perform on tour. This resulted in frequent hospital stays for him for a duration of two years, unsure if he and the band would be able to play music with the band again one day. Fortunately, a break in the clouds came as his health began to improve, and everything shifted.
“Every day I wake up and I’m pain-free, it just feels like the day deserves a chance,” he says. That resilience runs through THE WHEEL: songs like “Anomaly” and “Lost It” capture some of these hopeless moments. While the record, as a whole, carries his gratitude—written not for the spotlight but as a testament/celebration for survival itself.
THE WHEEL’s concept was literally how the band worked on this album. Each day in the studio, they loaded a digital wheel with songs and a few “chaos” prompts. “We’d put all the songs on there that we’d want to work on, and then we’d have a couple fun things,” Oliver says. Sometimes it was as small as “make another coffee” or “drink a beer.” Sometimes it was “start a new idea.” The point wasn’t to derail the process, but to disarm it by removing any ego from the room and let chance break deadlocks. “It took the emotional baggage out of choosing what you worked on… no one’s steamrolling.”
While some artists refuse to revisit songs tied to their darker chapters, the band feels the opposite about THE WHEEL. “For me, when I listen to this album, it reminds me of my resilience,” he says. Listening front-to-back still makes him cry with gratitude, release, and proof of this. It’s something he’ll be proud to play live for their fans in their upcoming tour, and 5-15 years from now.
They also brought back producer David Bendeth after loving his work with them on Treehouse. “We knew that David has a history of cutting the bullshit and helping artists get through it,” Oliver says. Bendeth’s role wasn’t just sonics; it was mentorship, pushing the band to corral their instinctive chaos with all the genres they played with into something sharper. Later, I See Stars found the equilibrium on their own. “The center,” as Oliver calls it, is where experimentation meets clarity.
Across the album’s long gestation, brothers Devin and Andrew’s creative rapport evolved. “Our skin has gotten thicker, but… that thickened skin has come with a lot of trust,” Devin says. Sometimes one brother has to carry a vision that the other can’t see yet. Like with “are we 3ven,” where Devin asked for a weekend to prove out the idea. Other times, like “After Dark,” Andrew leads and Devin follows. That’s where the wheel became metaphor as much as method: if a song’s on the board, it has a pulse; if one of them believes, the others give it space to breathe.
There’s a cinematic streak to THE WHEEL. Asked what type of film the album could score, Devin grins and shoots down a few jokes before landing on Fight Club. He hears the fevered system questioning, rebellious thread in the title track. He also mentions the montage style performance in “Curtain Call,” and the album’s closer. They showcase every era of I See Stars in that finale that feels both intimate and explosive for long-time fans.
And for those still arguing what genre or box the band belongs to, they already spun it. Devin says, “From now on, I See Stars is labeled as crash pop.” A fitting name to describe THE WHEEL stylistically. Equal parts gamble and victory lap, heavy yet never lacking in catchy pop hooks, a reminder that resilience and reinvention are their truest genres.
THE WHEEL is out Friday, and you can preorder it from Sumerian Records. Follow I See Stars on Twitter and TikTok for future updates.
Photo Credit: Miranda MacDonald
