Nexus – New Release – Best Friends
Scottish artist Selkie returns with Heartspeak, a minimal and weightless new single arriving digitally on November 20, 2025. The track serves as an airy companion to August’s Hours: where Hours swelled into a widescreen crescendo, Heartspeak leans into quiet restraint.
Built around a close, intimate vocal, the song drifts through breath-light pad harmonies, a soft synth arpeggio, and a gentle, wandering piano line.
A music video, filmed in Kyoto with Tokyo-based videographer/photographer Tiana (@rec.wamhapi), is currently in production and set for completion on November 17, releasing alongside the single.
Artwork & Visual Language
The artwork was photographed and art-directed by Selkie. At its center is “結ひ石（むすひいし）/ Musuhi-ishi,” a musubi/musuhi-inspired bound-stone sculpture by artist inoli (© Lisa Kimura).
The piece originates from a body of work exploring knots as symbols of connection and good fortune — themes that echo the song’s trust, intimacy, and openness. Selkie discovered the sculpture serendipitously at a Kyoto gallery café, which will also host the Heartspeak release show.
Behind the Song
Selkie describes Heartspeak as born from two nights etched into memory:
“Out at sea after dark, I drifted well off the coast, floating above I-don’t-know-what. Every small movement lit the water blue with bioluminescent plankton. It was so surreal and beautiful that there wasn’t room for fear — only awe.”
The second night was more visceral:
“I’d been hiking all day and planned to sleep at a mountain shelter, but it was full. I had to descend in the absolute black of night, knowing there were bears in the forest. I was exhausted, just walking forward blindly, my heart thumping with every step.”
She kept the arrangement as bare and human as possible: aside from the synth arpeggio and piano, every other sound comes from her voice — the pad-like harmonies and even the rhythmic squelch that creeps in toward the end.
“Heartspeak is about trust, fear, intimacy, and quiet intensity — the wonder that makes you feel held by something larger, and the small pulse of fear that keeps you moving in the dark.”
Artist Bio
Named after the mythical seal-folk who lose their voices when kept from the sea, Selkie emerged during a time when speaking and even breathing felt fragile — when sudden anxiety made it difficult to trust her own body. Daily moments at the piano became a ritual of returning: finding sound, grounding, and connection to natural rhythms.
From Glasgow pianos to Berlin bedrooms and Japanese stages, Selkie’s music creates space for softness, reflection, and a sense of something larger beneath the surface. Listeners often hear echoes of Radiohead, Aurora, and Björk, describing her live shows as immersive and comforting — like stepping into a warm bath.
Since spring 2025, she has played 30+ shows across Japan, recording in both Tokyo and Kyoto. She plans to bring her music home to Scotland and across Europe in early 2026, coinciding with the release of her debut EP.
Want to see a full article? Read it on the New Music Review website