After the sweeping success of their debut album Murmurations, Under Starling return with Bird Watching, a four-track EP released on March 21, 2025, that once again showcases the Waterford-based quartet’s unparalleled ability to weave raw emotion, nature, and storytelling into a richly immersive sonic journey. This latest release is not just a continuation of their sound—it’s a deepening of their vision, exploring themes of transformation, loss, folklore, and belonging through an evocative fusion of alternative rock, ambient textures, and poetic lyricism.
At the heart of the EP is its title track, “Bird Watching,” a delicately composed love song grounded in the Irish coastline’s wild beauty. It paints the emotional moment between two lovers spending their final moments together before being pulled apart by circumstance. There’s a visceral tension between presence and parting, underscored by interlocking guitar melodies soaked in reverb, a heartbeat bassline, and a rhythm section that moves like waves under the moonlight. Danny’s voice trembles with sincerity as he sings of fleeting time, while Molly Robb’s backing harmonies elevate the track into something almost celestial. Birds like skylarks and meadow pipits flutter through the lyrics, acting as quiet metaphors for freedom, longing, and the fragility of connection.
“The Hunger” follows with a dramatic shift in intensity, proving that Under Starling are unafraid to bare their teeth. This track pulls listeners into a storm of swirling distortion and pulse-raising percussion, driven by a primal energy that evokes the raw emotional hunger to be seen, heard, and understood. It pulses with urgency, echoing themes of identity and survival in an increasingly complex world. While “Bird Watching” tiptoes through nostalgia, “The Hunger” rips through restraint, leaving echoes that linger long after the final chorus crashes.
“Selkie” dips back into Irish mythology—a recurring influence in the band’s lyricism—and brings with it a sense of ancient mystery. Inspired by the legend of the seal people who shed their skins to walk among humans, the song explores transformation, concealment, and yearning for home. Musically, “Selkie” is one of the most atmospheric offerings on the EP, with ambient layers and haunting vocals that drift like mist. It’s the kind of track that feels like a secret, whispered through salt air. The band’s fascination with folklore shines here, not as a gimmick, but as a lived cultural language that deepens the emotional stakes of their music.
The final track, “Changeling,” rounds off the EP with perhaps its most introspective and emotionally complex song. It leans into the surreal, blending dreamlike lyrics with a slow-burning arrangement that grows in weight and intensity. The changeling myth—where a child is stolen by faeries and replaced—becomes a metaphor for identity and the dissonance of growing into someone unfamiliar to yourself. The instrumentation mirrors this transformation, building from a fragile acoustic opening into a cinematic crescendo that feels like waking from a fever dream. It’s an exquisite closer that leaves the listener breathless and full of questions.
Bird Watching is an evolution, not just a follow-up. While Murmurations introduced Under Starling as sonic architects of folk-tinged indie rock with heart, this EP finds them experimenting more confidently with space, silence, and subtlety. Their songwriting is more focused, their production more adventurous, and their emotional resonance deeper. The inclusion of guest harmonies, expansive soundscapes, and symbolic imagery reveals a band willing to grow their roots even as they stretch toward the sky.
Under Starling have always drawn strength from their sense of place, and Bird Watching is no exception. The landscapes of southeast Ireland—its coasts, myths, and wild skies—are ever-present characters in these songs. There’s a deep reverence for nature, for history, and for the ephemeral, which gives the EP its haunting power. And yet, these aren’t just Irish stories—they’re universal ones, dressed in local color.
With Bird Watching, Under Starling have cemented their place as one of Ireland’s most captivating emerging acts. Each track invites you to pause, breathe, and reflect. It’s music for twilight hours, for long walks and longer goodbyes, for those trying to find meaning in change. Lyrically rich and sonically bold, this EP is not just something to hear—it’s something to feel. In just four songs, Under Starling remind us that sometimes, the most powerful stories are the quietest ones whispered on the wind.
