Chloe Starr "Call You Back"
She's everything you wish you had.
Your heart races, your stomach drops, the knife twists. Chloe Star’s soft voice sings “I’m just like him” with a hint of a warble at the beginning of the song just reminds you of how bruised and enraged a heart can get. Star’s new song & video “Call You Back” sums up the frenzied nauseas feeling we have when someone we love does’t love us back.
A beat later the newest pop punk epic breakup anthem begins and we know Chloe's gonna be okay. She’s hurt, angry, and making you listen to every damn word with her strong lyrics. But she also knows her worth. She's everything you wish you had. Emotionally intelligent lyrics with the frustrated sense of injustice that makes the song boldly memorable. And haven’t we all been there before? We understand and we listen pissed off for her and our past unfair relationships all while tapping our feet and swaying. It’s absolutely catchy as hell, and you are quickly singing along with the chorus.
As I write she is prolly above the clouds on a plane to London for her UK tour. This Star is on the rise fast (you see what I did there ;) so I am anxiously awaiting the chance to catch her live on the West Coast or maybe closer to home. Tour Phoenix? Please?
Featured in Offstage Exposure Magazine: Issue 02: Showing Our True Colors
Illustration of Chloe Star by Anjeanette Ridner Hoer
The video itself is smoothly stylish, cool, bright and fun, but that anxious frustrated drop in the pit of your stomach feeling about the lost love is still there. Well acted story telling gives ‘I’m telling this to you personally, see it thru my eyes’. It feels like Star is breaking the fourth wall just for us to tell her gut wrenching story …and get us dancing.
The brooding lyrics plus upbeat, infectious music within the video kinda feels like a homage to the Bestie Boys “Sabotage”, itself a parody of 1970’s tv police dramas. Or a polished twist to a raw Basket Case by Green Day? Hard to make comparisons when an artist is as unique as Chloe Star, but I struggle to explain. It’s also candy colored pop punk, with dance choreography by Ryan Ramirez and the unfolding story of the betrayal presented in a fun way which is so in opposition to the feelings it brings up. The differences in what you and feel bring the point home hard.
So yeah it f*cks, as the kids say.
I know I have personally felt all of this before, not seeing my hurt shifting into rejection obsession, or shifting angry frustration to the new lover, instead of coming to terms with the fact I was actually angry with the one who cheated, and myself for loving them. Star captures all of these nuanced and obvious sentiments into a powerful anthem we can instantly all understand.
“It’s about how this girl left me for a guy who literally looks like me. Like, the male version of me, which is honestly kind of hilarious and devastating at the same time. On the surface, we’re the same: same vibe, same clothes, same scene. But the song is me calling out the difference between looking the part and actually showing up.” Chloe Starr
Nerd moment: The Baltimore Therapy Group explains it as the 80/20 rule in infidelity “The 80/20 rule in infidelity suggests that people often cheat because they're seeking the 20% they feel is missing, even though their partner provides 80% of what they need. They risk losing a good relationship for temporary excitement or validation.”HEATHER Z. LYONS, PHD
If I may summarize, that’s some bullshit! Thank you for indulging my ‘tism fact drop because this is exactly what Chloe Star explains in “Call You Back”! Besides, that 20% ‘missing piece’ is the effort THEY didn’t bring to the relationship, am I right? Girl, I’m so pumped up right now.
Chloe Star’s strong smokey vocals and intensity combined with the vibe of this single is so early 90’s SoCal kick-ass punky alt pop, which is a great contrast to the melodic therapy purge of a shitty break up. While no one wants to think about rejection, this will help heal & express emotions. You will not get this out your head in the best way!!
by Anjeanette Ridner Hoer
*All mistakes, weird art, & poor writing are human. I just sound like this, so suck it AI!
LA based Chloe Star has quickly become a voice in rock-pop for outsiders, visionaries, the marginalized, and queer visibility. Born of Indigenous and Persian heritage and raised between Los Angeles and her family’s reservation in San Bernardino, Chloe’s artistry is rooted in her layered identity. She channels her lived experience into songs that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant.
