THE ANGRY CALM OF STARLING’S ‘FORGIVE ME,’
Love, loss, and acceptance are the driving forces behind alternative band Starling’s latest EP, Forgive Me,. Despite its summer release date, Forgive Me, is filled with the sounds of chilly weather, early sunsets and the crisp air of fall. Starling combines elements of shoegaze and grunge to create a sound that is somehow soft and sullen, while also noisy and headbanging at the same time. Throughout its seven tracks, the EP shares the reality of what it’s like to fall in and out of love. There are extreme highs where everything feels perfect and fairytale-like, but they can quickly crumble and fall apart completely.
Starling is a four-piece band based in Los Angeles, California. The band started without a distinct vision in 2023 by lead vocalist and guitarist Kasha Souter Willett, but the following year, Erik Sathrum Johnson, Grace Rolek and Gitai Vinshtok joined, thus completing Starling. Forgive Me, is the second EP and latest release from the rising band. After releasing their debut EP 2324 in September of 2024, they began dropping a slew of singles to tease this new, upcoming EP. Known for their alternative sound riddled with grunge, the band is clearly inspired by a multitude of genres. In Forgive Me, we hear folky guitar and violin in many of the songs that are often supported with folk-like vocal techniques similar to yodeling. On the flip side, the band also utilizes heavy rock elements like the noisiness of guitar feedback, fuzzy guitar pedals, and rock-driven drumming.
The EP starts in a whisper with the track “Quiet.” This beginning lulls listeners in with the softness and whimsy displayed through the guitar, string section and Willett’s plush vocals — all helping evoke that first feeling of being in love: Everything seems perfect until it doesn’t. The opening track spans nearly seven minutes and is a clear representation of the ups and downs of love. The band goes from playing calmly to picking things up a bit, showing signs of turmoil, until finally going full grunge when reaching the chorus. There is an overall darkness to the song, even during the calm sections.
“I miss you, and all the ways you make me so angry too,” Willet sings.
Graphic by Rosi Martens (Crave Music Magazine)
This line alone could explain the entirety of Forgive Me,. She doesn’t just reflect on the highs of this relationship but acknowledges the anger she felt and how she somehow misses that too.
The rest of the EP follows suit in its message. Songs like “I Can Be Convinced” and “Slow Down” harness the harsher and grungier sounds of Starling, while “My Love” and “No Frown” cement themselves in the slower, more shoegaze aspects of the band. “My Love” specifically serves as the first break we hear sonically throughout the EP. This track reminds me of a phone call and how it feels to go back and forth with the person you love. Outside of lyrics that revolve around how much she gave to this person, Willett’s vocals sound blurred, like a recording of a voicemail. At various instrumental breaks in the song, there is a sort of conversation going on between the guitar and bass, again playing into the idea of the back-and-forth notion of a phone call or message.
The album closes with “Keep It,” another song spanning close to seven minutes in length. Ending with a final bang, “Keep It” comes in strong, punching you in the face with its gut-wrenching instrumental. A very noisy start, sounding like an angry scream, comes from the combination of feedback and heavy-hitting guitar layering. Similar to “Quiet,” it flows back and forth between calm moments of peace and angry moments of realization. Willett sings of her regret and anger against this person she once had so much love for.
As summer begins to shut its doors completely, Forgive Me, is the perfect EP to have on repeat while the temperature drops. Starling encapsulates an angry calmness, the sound of intense longing and the gloominess love sometimes brings. Whether you are in love, out of love, or over it all, Starling and Forgive Me, are not something you want to miss out on.
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