Science fiction and rock ’n’ roll have always been cozy bedfellows, but Columbus, OH’s STARSET take the relationship to lofty new heights. Founder Dustin Bates created an entire space-age fictional universe around the band and their music, rendering full-lengths like 2017’s Vessels as intricately crafted concept albums. Dramatic songs such as the string-swept “My Demons” and the synth-dusted “Monster” are indebted to airy prog, glitchy electronic music, and alternative rock; a 2021 release, the Linkin Park-esque “INFECTED,” combines jagged hard rock and pulsating synth-pop.