Selected Press

American Death named Album of the Year 2025: York Calling

PS ranked as #37 in Obscure Sound’s Best Albums of 2025

PS ranked as one of Top 25 Albums of 2025 for Recent and Decent

A Haunting named one of 2025’s Best Songs by Recent and Decent

All My Friends named one of the 51st Best Songs from the DMV for 2025 by the Worthwhiler

“In a world full of sanitised rock, “Starling” is a welcome, terrifying punch. Caleb L’Etoile has made a noise-rock horror core that gets your head nodding and your pulse racing. This is the sound of Halloween’s darkest, most chaotic corners.” - Buzzy Band

“Starling captures the essence of DIY horror-punk: raw, imperfect, and alive with energy that refuses to be tamed” - Hella Fuzz

“L’Etoile’s “Darling Pt. 2” is an embodiment of horror through its sound and structure, turning his storytelling into something alive, unsettling, and strangely captivating. His ability to merge narrative with emotion is precisely why I love this piece so much.” - Get Some Magazine

On Darling Pt. 2: “A series of sonic jump-scares with a twist at the end that Poe would be proud of, the hectic revision of 60s death pop and buzz saw indie rock is a joy from start to finish.” - Analogue Trash

“[American Death] is a firebrand work of protest and poetic honesty, pulling from folk, art-pop, and rock with fearless experimentation and razor-sharp purpose.” - Apricot Magazine

““MARIGOLD” is a full sprint of a listen that positions L’Etoile as a forward-thinking figure in modern pop, unafraid of challenging norms for the sake of emotionally palpable music.” - Glide Magazine

On Fireball: “Written as a tip of the cap and a tongue of the cheek to the sock hop anthems of yesteryear, it is impossibly catchy and if you still have your shoes on and aren’t boppin’ along – please get your ears checked.” - Buffablog

On Death Rattle: “The unrelenting pace and the darkness like an opaque heartland rocker, like the Killers without a god makes this track the stuff of an A24 horror flick while at the same time being a deeply romantic / drunken Los Campesinos! song. There is no way to really review this track. It is the kind of song that is better just on display, loud in closed cup headphones as you read the lyrics and attempt to sing along.”- American Pancake

“The minute I heard this album, I could feel the passion, the detail, and the soul poured into every track. Caleb L’Etoile’s new album “American Death” is a bold, emotional and deeply personal statement. Across 12 tracks, he blends art pop, folk, rock, and experimental textures into something that feels raw and fully alive. What’s most impressive is that Caleb does it all himself, from vocals to production and instrumentation, and he does it very well. His voice is rich and expressive, his lyrics feel urgent and fearless and the sound design is unique and I love it.”- Cheers to the Vikings

““KEROSENE” succeeds as both artistic statement and cultural document, capturing the specific disorientation of watching a country consume itself while feeling powerless to intervene. L’Etoile has created something genuinely unsettling—a song that sounds like America arguing with itself in the mirror.” - B-Side Guys