- Music
- 14 Jan 19
Belfast's Shannon Delores O'Neill AKA Sister Ghost, premieres new track ahead of album release.
'Backwards' is a menacing alt-rock song, with rumbling bass and guitar sounds giving space to O'Neill's expansive voice.
The video for the track sees Sister Ghost out in the remote wildernesses of Central California.
Speaking about the song and video, O'Neill says:
“The video for 'Backwards' was filmed in Ojai, California in July 2018, while I was teaching at Girls Rock Santa Barbara. It captures some of the breathtaking scenery on offer there, as well as some the destruction left by the Thomas Fire of December 2017, which devastated
much of the area surrounding this part of Southern California.
"While in Ojai I saw how the local community had dealt with the fire damage; from gallery exhibitions of burnt objects and infrastructure, re-purposed into art, to schools and housing being rebuilt from scratch (including some of the school that I had the privilege
to teach in). I also learned that some of the plants and flowers there actually germinate and thrive after having been burnt. Poetry!
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"Inspired by the area, its community and nature’s adaptability and regrowth after destruction, I knew it was the right visual companion for the song.
"‘Backwards’ is for people who cross oceans for those who won't cross a puddle for them in return. This song is about looking backward, taking what you've learned and using it to move forward.
"People often say how songs can feel like a 'baby' and I reckon I feel that with this one. If anything, I hope it makes you feel like dancing on a rock in 40° heat."
Sister Ghost has supported the likes of Le Bucherettes, Shellac and Pussy Riot in previous months.
O'Neill also runs Girls Rock School NI, which works to empower female-identifying musicians, young and old, in the North.
Sister Ghost is set to help perform 'Doolittle Revisited' - a tribute to Pixies - at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival on January 17, followed by performances at Voodoo Belfast (February 13), St. Patrick's Fest, London (March 16), and at the Son of the Hound album launch
in Limelight 2 (April 3). An album is expected to be released later this year. More details here.
Have a listen to 'Backwards' below: