Coming out of the nascent VVYNL stable of acts that inhabit the Knitting Factory on Monday nights, Zachary Allen Starkey bucks the trend of erstwhile Lady Gaga acolytes that dominate VVYNL and offers a more socially- distressed alternative. He’s less, well, pretty. But by combining basic darkwave synths with Gary Numan-esque vocals, Starky’s newest single, “Into the Sun,” paints personal loss in simple poetic strokes that feel prescient despite its retro proclivities. 5 minutes, however, was quite enough and he’ll need to switch the formula up greatly to make this vocal style work over an album’s length. – Brian Chidester
