LIMERICK musician and artist Shunya, known offstage as Alan Keary, has released a striking new single entitled Shattered Creek, a song rooted in the true story of a childhood friend who nearly lost his life after becoming trapped in a canyon in Peru.
The track explores the instinct to call out for one’s mother when confronted with death, and the experience of surrendering to mortality as the earth closes in. Sonically, it marks a departure from Shunya’s more production-heavy work, stripping things back to the fragility of his voice, supported by a string octet and haunting, warped vocals.
The accompanying music video, directed by Light In The Tower, was shot over three days across the majestic and desolate landscape of the Burren, Co. Clare, bringing a cinematic weight to the song’s themes of isolation and survival.
The release follows a sold-out tour alongside HENGE frontman Matthew C Whitaker and the release of Songs For The Weary, an album Shunya both produced and provided lush string arrangements for.
The son of Irish guitarist and producer Dave Keary, known for his work with Van Morrison, Shunya moves fluidly between futuristic Irish folk, jazz-tronica and ethereal electronic soundscapes, drawing on his command as a violinist, bass guitarist and vocalist.