If you haven’t heard of Starling yet, don’t worry- you will. This Los Angeles-based four-piece is about to drop their new EP, Forgive Me, on June 27, and it’s the kind of debut that makes you want to text your friends, “You have to hear this.”
Who Are Starling?
Starling is the brainchild of lead singer and guitarist Kasha Souter Willett, who started the project in 2023 with zero expectations and a lot of heart. By May 2024, the lineup was complete with Erik Sathrum Johnson (drums, mixing wizard), Grace Rolek (bass), and Gitai Vinshtok (guitar). Their chemistry is undeniable, and their sound? Let’s just say you’ll need more than one genre tag to pin them down.
What Do They Sound Like?
Imagine if Nirvana and Mazzy Star had a jam session in a sun-bleached LA garage, with My Bloody Valentine peeking through the window. Starling’s music floats between grunge, shoegaze, and indie songwriter territory, blending “bedroom warped production with angular leads and rich vocal melodies.” The result is a soft heaviness-equal parts yearning and catharsis-that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
Influences & Comparisons
Fans of Duster, MJ Lenderman, and Wishy will find familiar textures here, but Starling’s vulnerability and DIY ethos set them apart. Their songs are shaped by confusion, frustration, love, and loss, all wrapped in a sound that’s unmistakably theirs.
The New EP: Forgive Me
Written over a year and recorded in various sheds, apartments, and garages (yes, really), Forgive Me is a testament to Starling’s hands-on approach. Drummer Erik Sathrum Johnson handled mixing duties, and the band even shot their own artwork. The EP’s opener, “Quiet,” starts delicate and erupts into a wall of sound-fueled, perhaps, by the “physically intense, almost spiritual experience” of recording guitars in a sweltering garage.
Lead single “I Can Be Convinced” is a bittersweet anthem, yearning for stillness but delivered with infectious energy. The closer, “Keep It,” stretches nearly seven minutes and channels frustration into a dynamic, distorted crescendo.
As Kasha Souter Willett puts it:
“We wanted every melody, rhythm, and raw feeling to be intentionally placed and unmistakably ours.”
Why You Should Listen
Starling’s Forgive Me is the rare debut that feels both intimate and expansive-a DIY labor of love that’s as honest as it is hypnotic. Mark your calendar for June 27, and prepare to get swept up.
