- Chicago noise-rock trio Starcharm has signed with boutique booking agency Ground Control Touring for representation, with agent Natasha Parish leading the deal.
- Starcharm was previously unrepresented by a booking agency, operating as an independent act before this signing.
- The band will support Makeout Reef on their summer 2026 tour, their biggest stage opportunity to date.
- Starcharm released their second single "Wake Up" via Angel Tapes / Fire Talk Records in January 2026 and performed at the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival in Chicago the same month.
Starcharm, the Chicago-based noise-rock trio led by vocalist/guitarist Elena Buenrostro, has officially signed with Ground Control Touring for booking representation.
Agent Natasha Parish will handle the band’s touring, welcoming them to a GCT roster that has recently grown with signings including Pinkshift and Lucky.
Formed from the dissolution of Buenrostro’s cult-favorite project Soft and Dumb, Starcharm announced their signing to Fire Talk Records’ emerging artists imprint Angel Tapes last summer alongside debut single “The Color Clear.”
Their second single “Wake Up” followed in January 2026, and the band performed at the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival at Schubas Tavern for an Angel Tapes Showcase.
Prior to this deal, Starcharm operated independently without formal booking representation, a common starting point for DIY-rooted acts in Chicago’s underground scene.
Now signed, the band’s first major booking move is a support slot on Makeout Reef’s summer 2026 tour. Makeout Reef has dates lined up this summer, including a stop at The Complex in Salt Lake City on June 20, 2026.
Takeaways
This signing is a natural next step for one of indie rock’s most buzzed-about emerging acts. Starcharm has built serious momentum in under a year: label deal, festival slot, critical praise, all without a booking agent.
Landing at Ground Control Touring with Natasha Parish, a veteran agent known for championing DIY artists early, signals the industry is paying close attention.
The Makeout Reef support slot puts them in front of a ready-made alternative audience across the country, which is exactly the kind of platform a band at this stage needs to break wider.
GCT’s continued momentum with indie signings like Pinkshift and Lucky shows the agency is doubling down on the alt-rock lane, and Starcharm fits that strategy perfectly.
Could Starcharm’s support slot with Makeout Reef be the launchpad that takes them from underground favorite to mainstream breakthrough? Is Ground Control Touring positioning itself as the go-to agency for the new wave of indie rock acts?
