By: Staff
Under Starling's latest release, "Selkie," is a captivating blend of myth and emotion in their newest alternative rock anthem.
This high-powered band from Ireland delves into the emotional toll of long-distance relationships, weaving fictional storylines from the ancient Selkie myth to create a uniquely poignant song.
"Selkie" is the second track from Under Starlings' upcoming debut album, Murmurations, which is set to be released on October 25th. The Selkie story, as explained by the songwriters, adds a rich layer of meaning to the track.
With a soft, almost acapella opening, "Selkie" immediately conveys a deep message about love and its complexities. The vocals are some of the most beautifully delivered I have heard in a long time. The musical arrangement contributes significantly to this impression, blending classical elements with folk rock. The song features delicate guitars paired with a frenetic beat, creating a compelling contrast that evokes a sense of conflict. It reminds me of how opera often creates vivid imagery through music rather than just sound. Personally, it triggers a visceral fight-or-flight sensation akin to the thrill of a rollercoaster. As the song reaches its peak, it bursts into a frenzy before ultimately offering a sense of liberation—though I found myself wishing it had lasted longer. The way the song reflects love’s powerful ability to transcend boundaries and breathe life into myth is truly magical, creating an experience that lingers long after the final notes fade.
The production and engineering are also outstanding, showcasing the band's meticulous craftsmanship. I’m eagerly anticipating the full album and what other emotional journeys it may hold!
Be sure to add "Selkie" to your playlist, stream it, and share Under Starlings' latest work today.
What is a Selkie?
Also called the seal people, the sea people or the mermaid – a selkie is a marine legend that tells of people who are half fish, and half-human. In the water, they are seals, but on land, they shed their skin and take on human form. And for some reason, they are irresistible to ordinary humans, who are apt to fall in love with the seal people.
Popular on islands and rural coastal communities, the legend of selkie has endured over the age, and though less, there are still supposed sightings even in relatively modern times.
At its core, the legend is that of a creature that is half fish or seal, and half-human.
Selkies are often sighted by those living in remote coastal areas. Legend has it that in order to come ashore, selkies must first shed their skin or tail. And if you manage to find that skin and hide it away, the seal person cannot return to the sea. Irish folklore is littered with tales of men and women (usually men) finding a selkie skin and hiding it, then marrying the selkie woman.
Wait, there's more!
We caught up with this exciting artist, for:
“The Cage” Music Blog, to talk about music and learn more about them.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview
Hello Under Starling, please tell us the band members' names, roles, and relevant instruments.
My brother Danny (frontman) and I (Tommy, drummer) started playing music by jamming out in our bedroom at home when we were just 12 and 13. We decided then to form a band with just the two of us and play in a few talent shows and local pubs. Throughout the years we started a few music projects and had many members come and go. Colin (bassist) was a member of our last project and decided to stay on for this new adventure, Under Starling, with our new guitarist, Patrick. We formed Under Starling back in 2018 and have been enjoying every moment since.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process and where the inspiration comes from for this latest project?
The process of writing an Under Starling track, especially with regards to the new album, is most of the time Danny would bring an idea to the rest of the band with a few lyrics scattered about and we would jam on it and come up with new ideas here and there so we all construct the music together and get inspiration from each other. You never know when someone else in the band is going to play something crazy and bring the song down a whole new rabbit hole.
We are in the midst of releasing our debut album which is enveloped in Irish history and Celtic folklore. There is a cultural resurgence at home in Ireland at the moment and it could be down to a lot of factors including the housing crisis causing a lot of the Irish having to leave home again. We feel so much closer to our roots but distant at the same time and with that the songs wrote themselves.
Where do you create your music, i.e. in a home recording studio or with a producer? How do you finalize your finished work, ie self-mixed/mastered or another source?
All of this album was recorded in Monique Recording Studio in Castlemartyr with the amazing Christian Best. He worked alongside us with a lot of these tracks providing some direction and new ideas. At the moment we are also working with a brilliant mastering engineer, Richard Dowling.
We dabbled in recording at home but haven’t released anything from the home studio as of yet. We are still learning the ropes and it’s fecking hard!
What was the most challenging part of bringing this project to life, from the initial idea to the final recording?
With this new project, we really wanted to make it feel as organic as possible, almost as if you’re hearing us play everything in front of you. Through a lot of our past tracks, we worked with a lot of huge soundscapes and synths but with this, we tried to restrict the amount of instruments or noises playing at one time so that the experience of listening to our new album wouldn’t be far off our live show.
What part of the music-making process is the most stressful, ie the creation, the actual release date, etc?
Honestly, it’s everything that comes after making the music that is stressful. Sticking to a release strategy, and making sure everything online is correct (release date, metadata, labels) as indie distributors don’t make it easy or quick to fix. Then there is all the social media promotion and content creation, you can’t just be a musician these days you have to be an influencer too!
If there was one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?
We have recently done an interview with RTE in Ireland where they asked us a very similar question; we don’t know about the music industry as a whole but with regards to Ireland, it could do a lot more to support independent and grassroots artists trying to make a name for themselves.
There is a lot of focus on who's making waves in Dublin lately, rather than what’s going on in the rest of the country, which is teeming with talent. For us, navigating the Irish music scene has been very challenging. You’ve got to be loud in every sense of the word and when you’re up against major label artists who have the money to be louder it can be easy to get drowned out. But we believe that the quality of art wins overall at the end of the day and it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Have you ever been on tour and can you tell us a little about the experience?
We tour at least twice a year or with a new release. It’s great fun and brings us to new venues and in front of new people every time. We have a tour coming up this October/November starting with an album launch night in The Workmans Cellar on the 25th of October.
Was there ever a time when you emotionally felt, “I can’t do this anymore”? Can you tell us why this happened and how you found the strength to continue?
With every release there are some ups and downs, you think that a certain song is going to do amazing or you have some expectations that aren’t met. I don’t think we have ever gotten to the stage of “I can’t do this anymore” because we enjoy creating so much. The music industry is harsh but as long as we are producing music that we love, it helps keep the engine running!
Also if you listen to our new album “Murmurations” out on October 25th that’d help too! ;)
If you could go on any late-night talk show, which would it be? And based on present life, what would be the topic of discussion?
That’s an easy one - late night with Conan O’Brien and we would love to talk about America's relentless fuelling of Israel’s genocide on the people of Palestine.
When you become famous, what famous band or artist would you love to tour with?
BIFFY CLYRO!!!
End Interview
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Under Starling on Spotify & YouTube.
Comments