Derry artist Sister Ghost has unveiled her latest offering ‘Dark Matter’, the lead single from her next album Beyond The Water, out October 31.

Set against an upbeat backdrop of progressive guitar chords and a rousing rhythmic section, the nostalgic and reflective lyrics make for a beautifully bittersweet yet breezy track, offering a first glance into an exciting upcoming record.

Speaking of her new single, Derry based artist Shannon Delores O'Neill – better known as Sister Ghost – said: “I wrote the lyrics for this song after being moved to tears watching the French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Céline Sciamma, as I really felt it echoed some of my own queer experiences. That’s also why there’s some French in the bridge section of the song, which translates to ‘my love, she glows in the fire’.

“The chorus phrase ‘dark matter, pour over me’ just came to me out of nowhere, and when I looked into it I found that dark matter in science is defined as being unseen or invisible, so then it made sense to me to use it as a device to convey the alienation and sadness queer people feel when they have to hide their true selves or walk away from relationships due to queer-specific circumstance.”

O’Neill has a background playing in bands from the age of 12, and saw Sister Ghost as an opportunity to explore the freedom of a solo musician for the first time. When asked about her inspirations, she cites artists such as Sonic Youth, Veruca Salt, Patti Smith and Kate Bush.

Listen to Sister Ghost’s new single ‘Dark Matter’ below: