Queen Quail – Southside (2025)
When I first hit play on Queen Quail’s ‘Southside’, I was expecting a gentle ballad, something soft, maybe even a bit sad. And sure, it starts that way: delicate vocals, a lightly strummed electric guitar, the kind of intro that feels like it’s being whispered from another room. But then the song opens up. The electric guitar starts to shimmer and bend, the drums crash in, and suddenly you’re right in the middle of something that feels both heavy and freeing. That shift completely caught me off guard, and honestly, it’s what makes ‘Southside’ so unforgettable.
Queen Quail is the Berlin-based project of Milwaukee native Kirstin Edwards. For sure, she knows how to turn emotion into motion. Her voice moves between restraint and release, like she’s trying to process a memory that keeps replaying in her head. There’s a fragility to it, but also this quiet strength underneath. When she sings, “I’m late to my own life”, it hits hard because it’s simple, but it is the kind of line that stays with you.
I love how the production keeps you guessing. For the first half, it feels almost weightless, with the guitar and vocals carrying most of the emotion. Then, in the last minute, everything swells: pounding percussion, distorted layers and even some pedal steel from Milwaukee musician Will Hansen. It feels cinematic, like the soundtrack to a moment of realisation. The ending totally wrecked me in the best way possible; it’s raw and beautiful, like she’s finding strength in the middle of the chaos.
Knowing that Edwards wrote this while finding her footing in Berlin makes it even more meaningful. You can hear that mix of homesickness and discovery in every verse. It’s the sound of someone growing into themselves, one chord at a time.
‘Southside’ might only last less than three minutes, but the lyrics stay with you much longer. It’s tender, restless, and quietly powerful, a song about trying to move on, even when the past won’t quite let go. If this is what Queen Quail’s upcoming EP Narcissus sounds like, it’s going to be something really special.
Find out more about Queen Quail on her Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Big Hassle Media.
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