Kingfishr - Shadow EP (2024) Hi-Res

The EP opens with focus track Shadow, setting the pace by casting a stark contrast between uplifting, jangly melodies, and deeply introspective lyricism as lead vocalist Eddie sings “I was terrified of listening to the light, so the darkness came alive”.

Speaking on the track, the band said: “Shadow is about the consequences of burying pieces of yourself. There’s an idea that ‘The Shadow’ is everything you suppress about your psyche. Those unseen elements of yourself rule you and you have no idea. The song is an ode to this.”

The second song on the EP, Coward, is a poignant display of vulnerability and remorse. The track opens with soft acoustic guitars, and erupts raucously into a bittersweet chorus: “Call me a coward, running from the dreams inside my head, living with the things I should’ve said, it’s too late…”.

Third track Leave was released as a single in January 2024 and boasts a typically cinematic quality, the gentle picking of acoustic guitar and sharp plucking of the banjo setting the scene. The band’s evocative and poetic lyricism is evident from the start “forever runs away sometimes…” in his distinctive, low burr. The song continues to build, leading to a soaring, epic finale hitting you right in the gut.

Fourth track Shot In The Dark quickly became a fan favourite due to the intimate moment and connection between the band and their fans the song and its performance creates. There is a harmonious blend of softly played, jangly acoustic guitar, soothing harmonica tones and emotionally resonant lyrics. It gently builds alongside a rhythmic drumbeat and the steady picking of McGoo’s banjo, as Eddie sings, “If it all falls apart, at least we enjoyed it…” The song is infused with a youthful sense of hope, a theme now synonymous with the band.

The EP closes with a rework of debut single flowers-fire released in summer of 2022. The lyrics are strikingly poetic: “If I could only turn back time/ Take back all those things I said/ In the tempest of a moment/ But oh, my soul has gone and left me/ In the depths he begs for death.” As the banjo strikes up alongside a rousing, thunderous drumbeat, you sense the gravitas that comes with the band’s Irish heritage.