Hollywood Stars, The
Hey! La! (fire Splatter)
Hey! LA! follows the Stars' comeback effort, 2024's Starstruck, which marked the band's first LP of new material in a jaw-dropping 47 years. In a five-star review which compared the new songs to Blondie, the Cars, and Cheap Trick, Shindig! Magazine called Starstruck "the best power pop album of the year to date" and asked, "Where the hell do these guys get off sounding so youthful and exuberant?" The lineup of the band on Hey! LA! is the same as on Starstruck: vocalist Scott Phares and drummer Terry Rae (founding members in 1973), bassist Michael Rummans (joined in 1976), and guitarists Jeff Jourard and George Keller (recruited in 2023). Jourard was an early member of The Motels and co-wrote that band's second single, "Total Control" (covered on Starstruck), with Martha Davis. He also played guitar on 1976's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.