With a new album announced for release next month and up for pre-order now, veteran Northern California indie rockers THE MORNING LINE and Big Stir Records bring you the second single to preview the record. “Spellbound,” with its textured guitars and and plaintively melodic vocals, is a moody but lovely change of pace from “Anhedonia,” the band's previous indie hit single, and together they hint at the stylistic depth the band displays on the new album STARS. The single sees release August 28 (three weeks ahead of the release of the full-length record's street date) and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/tml-spellbound

It's already been a watershed year for veteran Northern California indie rockers THE MORNING LINE, kicking off with the surprise release of a new double-sided single “This Lens” backed with “90s Pickup” after a three-year hiatus. That was followed in rapid order by the band – singer-songwriter-guitarist STEPHEN SMITH, guitarist BRIAN MELLO, drummer PETER CRAFT and bassist DAVID KNUPP – announcing their official signing with Big Stir Records after a long-standing casual association that included the release of their single “Nostradamus” some years back. THE MORNING LINE's blend of decade-defying guitar pop sounds, drawing in equal parts from power pop, jangle rock, postpunk and Americana, made BSR the ideal launching pad for the band's new album STARS, a comprehensive survey of the band's back catalog in freshly remixed and forward-looking versions alongside the new tracks. A new version of the signature tune “Anhedonia” hit big on global indie radio as the first preview single last month, and now, with the album up for pre-order and buzz building for its September 18 release, “Spellbound” sweetens the pot and displays another side of THE MORNING LINE's musical identity.

Frontman STEPHEN SMITH reveals the intention behind the track. “It's about someone re-entering the world, after a period of loneliness, upset, or treatment.” He goes on to point out some details that listeners, whether hearing the song for the first time now or when its original version appeared on the band's 2007 debut album STAY MY SATELLITE, might overlook: “One word people often miss when listening to it is 'Darien,' the Connecticut town. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2012 film Just Like Being There, a documentary about the makers of rock show posters. It is the only The Morning Line song with horns – a trumpet part that leads the song to its end. It’s anthemic and earnest.” With dense lyrical and musical touches like this, the song still packs a visceral and emotional punch as its layers ebb and flow. It's another side of THE MORNING LINE's fascinating take on guitar pop... and just one of 21 examples on display on STARS, a record that's rapidly emerging as an essential event on 2026's indie rock calendar.