Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter Darcy Kate is back with tender tunes in her latest release, 'Songbird.' This marks her third single release to-date and is a more compassionate & stripped-back offering than her previous singles.
The song begins with serene guitar arpeggios, before Darcy's soft voice floats through. The track starts with a sparseness that still feels incredibly rich due to the beautiful sound recording & production. You can hear each little movement on the guitar strings and each pluck is more sonorous than the last. 'Songbird' is a very progressive indie-folk song, slowly building from guitar with keys, deep strings and finally, as the bird raises its wings, we get a full spray of violin straight to the face. The song is hopeful & romantic, with a thickness to it that belies it's thin texturing, like a record needle on vinyl. Sometimes less is more, and it allows Darcy Kate to shine through and be more emotive than perhaps a song laden with more instruments.
'Songbird' is a departure from the thick, onerous guitar chords and building thunder drums of 'Run Away.' Sonically, the song harks back to her first single, 'Last Train to Frankston.' However, here we see Darcy move away from the morose Autumn rain conjured by 'Frankston,' into a light Spring shower with 'Songbird' (with a Bruce Springsteen-scented candle keeping us warm all Winter long in 'Run Away'). This song is the goosebumps on your arms when someone special's skin brushes against yours.
The song is about following your dreams, defying all hurdles and breaking through the waves of opposition. We were lucky enough to have Darcy Kate open up about this, stating:
"I wrote Songbird last year during the pandemic. I wanted to write something as a reminder to myself to keep growing and pursuing what is important to me despite the barriers, fear, and dark times. This was a song that I never initially thought I would release, but after playing it for a few friends who connected with it, I decided to add it to the album. I hope it is a comfort to people during the hard days.
Due to being such a personal song, I performed it in the studio alone (aside from Steve, my producer). We kept the arrangement delicate with influences from Katie Gray and Jewel. Anna (from duo Anna and Jordan) added backing vocals, piano, and the strings later. It was one of the quickest songs to come together on the album."
Darcy Kate has so far defied expectations and ignited our hearts with her wholesome brew of country-tinged folk, spiced with blues, indie-rock & storytelling. She is a master tale weaver and wordsmith. We can't wait to see how the entire album shapes up, with each track so far being a journey, note to note.
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