You might expect a song about fond seaside memories to be a chirpy upbeat pop ballad but Katie Cassidy tells her happy story in typical alt-grunge style, with lots of drum backbeats, guitars and keyboard sounds.
Enniscrone is the muse for the new single from Katie, called ‘Sand Castles’.
This is the third release from the Ballina singer and songwriter and is her reflections of childhood summers by the sea in the nearby seaside resort of Enniscrone where, she says, rain, salt air and scraped knees felt like forever.
In ‘Sand Castles’, Katie remembers time spent gallivanting as children in the caravan park and beyond with her brother Philip, also a well-known musician, and her cousins.
The evocative lyrics sung by Katie are accompanied by a punching distorted bass line at the introduction, scale-like keyboard links, guitar and syncopated backing vocals. Katie’s deep voice is as strong as ever on ‘Sand Castles’, adding to the texture of the music.
Her first single ‘Leech’ was recorded in 2018, but was delayed for five years following Katie’s involvement in a serious road traffic accident. That happened just as she was beginning to make a name for herself in the music industry, including playing festivals and recording original material. Nerve damage to her fingers, along with neck and shoulder injuries, affected Katie’s ability to perform. Thankfully, she was able to return to playing music, leading to her second single ‘On the Phone’, a collaboration with electro-pop duo And_I, from Austria, a pair of musicians whom she first met while living in that country for a brief period.
Last year, Katie became a mother for the first time, perhaps provoking her own memories of a simpler time when she herself was young and carefree, and inspiring ‘Sand Castles’.
After the fierce energy of her debut single ‘Leech’, and the dreamy collaboration with And_I for ‘On the Phone’, Katie dropped the new single ‘Sand Castles’ yesterday. It is now available on streaming platforms such as Spotify.
