We all have memories of summers long-past, spent at a special cabin, camp, or a buddy’s basement.

But for Stars singer Torquil Campbell, his summer getaway holds so much meaning, it inspired the band’s entire new album.

The rustic Capelton Hill house that inspired Stars new record | Photo credit: Gaelle Leroyer

The old wooden house his grandfather built hasn't changed. Ever. The floors, the furniture, and even the feelings remain the same after 120 years. And that means the world to the singer in these uncertain times.

“Summer houses are places you go that don’t change. That’s the whole point of them,” Campbell tells VictoriaNow. “You close them up for the winter, then return, take the boards off, and it’s like nothing’s changed.”

“Time has stood still and you can walk back into that space.”

That’s the space that occupies their ninth studio album, From Capelton Hill, named after the remote area in rural Quebec where the house still sits.

Stars bring their acclaimed, lush live show to Victoria’s Capital Ballroom this Friday, and will be digging into From Capelton Hill’s frozen-in-time comfort vibe the new songs possess.

“Everything has changed and has been taken from us over the last couple of years,” says Campbell. “Every assumption about how life would be, has been challenged and uprooted.”

“So I think there’s a deep longing in people right now to be somewhere where things haven’t changed, and to feel like we can stop time for a minute. The record is just an attempt to send a letter from there.”

From Capelton Hill carries a bittersweet balance of impermanence and hope, all adorned by the Montreal-based band's reaching, orchestral, romantic pop sound.

Stars: From Capelton Hill | Photo credit: Gaelle Leroyer

The singer sees music serving the same comfort as a summer house. That warm, unchanging sense of place.

“Songs are a way for you to hang on to every single moment that matters,” he says. “Your first kiss, your first heartbreak…the first time you feel alone, and no one understands you but that song.”

“That’s been our mission from the start. We want to make music that is part of your life and stays in your life.”

Stars composed some of the new material in the Capelton Hill house, but for the 20-plus years the group has been together, Capelton's also been a constant hangout for staying connected.

“It’s been a huge part of the band’s life,” says Campbell. “We wrote [the breakthrough 1994 hit album] Set Yourself on Fire there. We do everything there. We do play music, but it’s mostly a place we go to be friends.”

“The band is just an excuse to be with each other, really. And it always has been.” 

Stars play the Capital Ballroom Friday July 15th, and information can be found at the venue’s site.