Philly-based singer-songwriter Christina Ward releases her brand-new single, “Darkstar,” a track lifted from her forthcoming EP, Neon, via Bad Catt Records x Mint 400 Records, slated to drop on October 11.
Speaking about “Darkstar,” Ward says, “The song is partly about my life as a kid, growing up with a schizophrenic mother, and how it’s affected me in my adult life and my own mental health.”
To come to terms with life and find an emotional haven, Ward turned to music. Listening to Prince led to pleading for a guitar. She got her hands on one when she was 13 years old. Teaching herself how to play by listening to Led Zeppelin, after a while she was writing her own songs. Music and her guitar changed her life.
Immersing herself in rock and folk music, including Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris, as well as bands such as Pixies, Fugazi, Cat Power, and Land of Talk, Ward developed her own sound, a sound featuring the sincerity of folk, the wistfulness of lo-fi indie-pop, and the dazzling guitar licks of psychedelic rock.
“Darkstar” follows on the heels of a series of singles, as well as her EP, Shapeshifter, released in March of this year.
Recently, Ward was invited to play a short run of shows with Anthony Green (Circa Survive, The Sounds Of Animals Fighting). NPR Music and WXPN praised her performances.
The upcoming EP, Neon, features her full live band for the first time. The band is made up of drummer Tim Arnold, bassist Nawi Avila, and keyboardist Tony Dunst. The EP was mixed by accomplished Philly engineer and producer Jeff Ziegler, known for his work with The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, A Sunny Day in Glasgow.
The intro to “Darkstar” is soft and almost intangible, followed by Ward’s dreamy, sighing vocals imbuing the lyrics with ethereal surfaces. A wonderfully finessed mid-tempo rhythm gives the melody a delicious swaying cadence as Ward’s voice weaves magical sonic textures overhead. Complex layers of sound, highlighted by gossamer harmonies, infuse the tune with suggestions of atmospheric prog-rock.
At once wispy and wraithlike and yet simultaneously visceral and dynamic, “Darkstar” reveals the enormous talents of Christina Ward.
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