Today, breakout artist Sarah Kinsley unveils “Starling” — the second single to be released from her forthcoming album, Escaper, via Verve Forecast. Listen and share the song HERE. In anticipation, she shares the official music video for the track — watch and share HERE.
Born from a night of hilarity, purpose, and meaning, “Starling” was one of the last songs written for the forthcoming debut album, Escaper, set for release on September 6. Pre-order and pre-save the album HERE.
“The 'Starling' music video was made for and by close friends in my life. My co-director, Chloë, and I wanted to capture the temporality of love, the fleeting magic of love through the medium of ice,” Sarah details. “We can see love in the ice between palms, balanced between foreheads, and eventually in dancing in what is inevitably left of a bygone love: rain. It was an incredible experience to create this visual piece, in all of its soaked, shimmering glory.”
Kinsley co-directed and co-produced the video with a close group of friends. Thematically, “Starling” is very different from the first single released off the album, “Last Time We Never Meet Again.” Watch and share the video HERE. Whereas “Starling” is a plea to exist forever in the universe, “Last Time We Never Meet Again” is a goodbye to universes.
Kinsley will embark on a headline tour across North America, the U.K., and Europe in support of the new music, kicking off September 15 and including stops at New York City’s Webster Hall, two evenings at Los Angeles’ Troubadour, and more. See below for a complete list of dates. Tickets and more info HERE.
Fascinated by the idea of alternate realities and imaginary worlds, Escaper finds Kinsley challenging the listener to find their own escape. Across the album’s 12 tracks, Kinsley explores old friendships, loss, romantic love compared to the love of close friends, and relationships fizzling that once flourished.
Kinsley collaborated with and co-produced the album alongside Grammy-award winning producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen, St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten). “One realization you have eventually as an insular, more introspective person is that there’s a world outside of yourself waiting for you to look into it. I had made every single EP from scratch, in the sweetness of my apartment… This record was meant to be grand and unstoppable. A beginning descent into freefall. Why protect that feeling in solitude? Why not invite another into that journey?” she details of working with Congleton.
Growing up in the world of classical music and coming to love pop music in her teenage years, Kinsley often marries the two on Escaper. “I'm just such a sucker for massive, grand songs,” she describes. “I think it’s the classical musician in me who loves symphonies and the magnum opus effect.”
The New York-based artist has released three EPs — The King (2021), Cypress (2022), and Ascension (2023) — to widespread critical praise. The King’s title track went viral on TikTok, accumulating 121 million global streams to date across her catalog and climbing. The EP was included in NME’s list of top debut projects of 2021, raving, “Her transformative songs of growing pains and discovery share a similar intimacy to the introverted, deeply human alt-pop of Maggie Rogers and Lorde.”
Ascension received praise from the likes of NPR Music, The Sunday Times, Ones to Watch, and more. Kinsley has performed at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and more, as well as opened for the likes of Mitski, Sylvan Esso, Weyes Blood, and Gus Dapperton.
TRACKLIST
Last Time We Never Meet Again
Realms
Glint
Sublime
My Name Is Dancing
Beautiful Things
Barrel Of Love
Matter
There Was A Room
Knights
Starling
Escaper
TOUR DATES
September 15—Hollywood Theatre—Vancouver, BC
September 16—Neumos—Seattle, WA
September 17—Polaris Hall—Portland, OR
September 19—The Independent—San Francisco, CA
September 20—Troubadour—Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
September 21—Troubadour—Los Angeles, CA
September 22—Valley Bar—Phoenix, AZ
September 25—House of Blues Cambridge Room—Dallas, TX
September 26—Antone’s Nightclub—Austin, TX (SOLD OUT)
September 29—The Basement East—Nashville, TN
October 1—Thalia Hall—Chicago, IL
October 2—A&R Music Bar—Columbus, OH
October 4—The Loft at Center Stage—Atlanta, GA
October 5—Motorco Music Hall—Durham, NC
October 6—Union Stage—Washington D.C.
October 9—The Great Hall—Toronto, ON
October 10—Theatre Fairmount—Montreal, QC
October 12—Higher Ground Showcase Lounge—South Burlington, VT
October 13—Royale—Boston, MA
October 15—The Foundry at The Fillmore—Philadelphia, PA
October 16—Webster Hall—New York, NY
November 8—Whelan’s—Dublin, Ireland
November 10—SWG3—Glasgow, UK
November 11—Band On The Wall—Manchester, UK
November 13—Thekla—Bristol, UK
November 14—Heaven—London, UK
November 18—Melkweg—Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 19—CBE—Cologne, Germany
November 22—Lido—Berlin, Germany
November 23—Cafe v Lese—Prague, Czech Republic
November 25—Strom—Munich, Germany
November 27—Le Bellevilloise—Paris, France
