It's almost October, and BIG STIR RECORDS has promised a whole month of Halloween festivities centered around the Double LP/CD/Streaming release of our brand new collection CHILLING, THRILLING HOOKS AND HAUNTED HARMONIES: The Big Stir Records Halloween Grimoire. It starts now with a new single from SPARKLE*JETS U.K., who have the perfect song to kick off the spooky season: “Eyeball Eater (From Outer Space).” A true lost classic from the monster-themed novelty rock era backed with a surprise vintage B-side, the single officially invades Earth on September 26 and up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/sjuk-eyeballeater

Long Beach, California's long-running power pop heroes SPARKLE*JETS U.K. have been undergoing a recent renaissance. After years of relative silence on the release front, the band – founding members MICHAEL SIMMONS (vocals, guitar and more), SUSAN WEST (vocals, guitar) and JAMIE KNIGHT (bass), joined by JOEL VALDER (drums), TISHA BOONYAWATANA (keys, vocals) and MARTIN BEAL (guitars) – stormed back with a pair of hit indie records: the covers collection BEST OF FRIENDS (2023) and then, in short order, their first new album of originals in two decades, 2024's BOX OF LETTERS. There's seemingly nothing they can't do, and as a core artist on the roster of LA-based Big Stir Records, they were among the first on board when the label initiated the Halloween project that would become CHILLING, THRILLING HOOKS (which is also helmed by Simmons as the compilation co-producer and much more). What they delivered in “Eyeball Eater (From Outer Space)” is nothing short of a Halloween classic.

Sung in first person as the titular extraterrestrial by West with delightfully ravenous relish and featuring a period-perfect guitar solo by Simmons that would be the envy of any dedicated rockabilly outfit, the track is a ghoulish gem. And if it sounds like it could have been written during the late-'50s/early-'60s novelty monster rock craze encompassing “Purple People Eater” and “The Monster Mash”, that's because, despite never being heard by the public until now, it was! The song was in fact written, most likely around 1958, by Richard West, Susan's father, at the time the leader of a Southern California band called THE LEGENDS. Clearly influenced by the Sheb Wooley hit but inventing a different kind of alien invader altogether, West had the band record an acetate demo of the tune, which has remained an unreleased family heirloom until now. The best possible presentation of The Legends' original recording from that acetate, near the end of its playable lifetime after nearly seventy years, is included here as bonus vintage B-side!

It's also “sampled” as the intro of the SJUK version of “Eyeball Eater” and augmented by a cameo snippet of narration by Christina Bulbenko (of The Armoires) that's a taste of the special “Chilling, Thrilling Tales” vignettes that frame the songs and bring the Haunted House Party vibes to the BSR Halloween LP, where sparkle*jets u.k. are joined by labelmates like SPLITSVILLE, THE SPONGETONES, GRAHAM PARKER, THE CORNER LAUGHERS, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS and even THE STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK, all debuting their own future classics sure to be staples on October playlists for years to come. “Eyeball Eater (From Outer Space)” brings the vintage monster rock fun, and there's much more in the ghastly grooves of CHILLING, THRILLING HOOKS AND HAUNTED HARMONIES. Something wicked good this way comes, and we invite you to join us at our Halloween party... if you dare!