Waterford alt rock quartet Under Starling released their debut EP Mongrel. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
The band are having a launch party for the EP upstairs in Whelan's, Dublin on 16 July 16th. Buy tickets here.
Tell us three things about yourself?
We are Under Starling, one of the few remaining rock bands from Waterford who are still kicking. Our name is based off the natural phenomenon of flocking starling in the wild, forming murmurations. Funny enough, we are all college graduates, but none from music. We have a marine biologist, a physicist, an accountant and an architect in the band.
How would you describe your music?
We like to try and evoke a feeling of excitement and euphoria in our music. This is done through copious amounts of reverb on most aspects and dark distorted riffs. We then like to follow this with an upbeat drum and bass track or even something that could change the mood of the song from where you thought it might have gone, to somewhere else.
Who are your musical inspirations?
As a band we enjoy listening to a nice mix of artists but the ones that inspire us the most are Biffy Clyro, Kings of Leon and the 1975. Danny - "My style and stage presence is inspired by Simon Neil and the late XXXTentacion."
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I remember our first concert was the Red Hot Chilli Peppers way back in 2012, that time when you had to line up outside Heartbeat City to get your concert tickets. We could only get standing at the time so we had to swap for seating since Danny was only about four foot tall.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Between all of us there were a good few, we could have lied and thrown down some mad ones but some of the honest firsts included Demon Days by Gorillaz, Number Ones by Michael Jackson and Now You're Gone by Bass Hunter.
What’s your favourite song right now?
We've started to listening to some podcasts lately, most notably Song Exploder. We've been finding more songs and artists through those, but these are some of the songs we are listening to at the moment. Black Dog by Arlo Parks, What's The Use? by Mac Miller, Just Like Heaven by The Cure, and Leviathan by Everything Everything.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Danny - One of my favourite lyrics I've ever written is "Your heart is yours to bleed dry" which is from our newest song Big Fish, the final track of our Mongrel EP. Interpret this lyric how you would like.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This would have to be Fruit Salad by The Wiggles, that song is a banger.
Where can people find your music/more information?
We are everywhere! Some of the main ones are Spotify, Instagram, and even our own website.
