Long-time friends Bebhinn McDonnell and Taylor Doyle formed Sylk in November of 2016, and have since taken the Dublin electro scene by storm. “We were trying to be in a band for about seven years, but we never got around to it,” says Doyle. “I’m from Clare, and I moved up to Dublin, and we were like, ‘Okay, let’s actually start a band.’”
Plastered across their social media sites is Sylk’s motto, “Controversy. Distortion. Manipulation” – a good primer for their debut EP, Nwyr. Their music is moody, with an emphasis on experimental bass beats and gritty vocals from Doyle. McDonnell says that they get lots of inspiration from avant garde classical, but they don’t fall fully into that genre. “We’re trying to blend that into more mainstream stuff,” she explains. “So we’re dark, but we still want it to sound nice in your ear.”
2017 has held more success than Sylk anticipated, thanks to the release of Nwyr and a support slot with Karms at Whelan’s. For good measure, the band performed at Body & Soul on the Pagoda stage, and also played the Whelan’s main stage as part of the Summer Watch series. Body & Soul, in particular, was a dream come true.
“Oh my god, it was amazing,” enthuses McDonnell. “It was our dream, and we aimed to play there in 2018, so we couldn’t believe we were actually doing it. We go there every year, and to go as an artist was amazing. We were taking photos of everything!”
Hear: Sylk’s debut EP, Nwyr, is available now.
See: Sylk play the Grand Social, Dublin on September 8.