Like much of Five Star Iris’s self-titled debut album, the anthemic first single “Let It All Out” is a showcase for the Atlanta-based quartet’s soulful rock melodies, sharp songwriting and searching lyrics. Winner of the prestigious United Kingdom Songwriting Contest, the lyrics comment on the everyday struggle to relate to one another, a recurring theme on the album. “My father used to say that communication makes friends and a lack of communication makes enemies,” recalls Alan Schaefer, Five Star Iris’s lead singer and guitarist. “It’s an interesting concept from a songwriting perspective because people not knowing how to express themselves has caused everything from broken hearts to wars.”

The band learned first hand about the importance of keeping the lines of communication open as it endured the ups and downs of making a record as an unsigned band. “It was frustrating at the time, but recording the album over two years turned out to be a blessing because it gave us the chance to develop our chemistry on the road,” Schaefer explains. “We’re all good friends, but touring together all over the Southeast and in Europe really bonded us musically.”

Schaefer, Alex Winfield (guitar, piano, vocals), Rob Schaefer (bass, vocals) and Dan Fishman (drums, vocals) recorded the 12 songs featured on FIVE STAR IRIS with co-producers Sylvia Massy Shivy (Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Rich Veltrop (Tom Petty) with additional production by Dexter Green (Collective Soul). The album also includes a pair of songs Schaefer co-wrote with Collective Soul’s Ed Roland.

One of those tracks, “Anyway,” mixes social commentary with an arena-ready chorus that asks, “Why do we live in the drama?/It’s all make believe.” “Personal accountability is such a rare commodity these days because it’s easier to blame Hollywood or the government for your problems instead of looking in the mirror,” Schaefer says. “It’s an angry song, but there’s an undercurrent of hope in there too. I’ve always been drawn to songs that balance those emotions.”

A more personal side of the band’s songwriting emerges on “Is There Something I Can Do,” a song Schaefer wrote for family members after the loss of a close relative. The poignant ballad reflects Schaefer’s feeling of helplessness as he tried to comfort them. “Being there for someone is more than just asking, ‘is there something I can do?’” Schaefer says. “It took me a while to accept that I couldn’t do anything to help except be there for them. It comes back again to communication. Sometimes you say more when you stop talking and just listen.”