Montreal Folk Artist Silka Weil Releases New Single “Unsatisfied”
Montreal-based folk-pop artist Silka Weil combines unapologetic sexiness with raw vulnerability on her jangly, electric-infused new single “Unsatisfied” – telling a complex story of evolving emotions.
Weil’s voice captures the perfect amount of Stevie Nicks huskiness, and “Unsatisfied” doesn’t recount a narrative so much as it captures a heady cocktail of emotions in the aftermath of a story. It’s driving and soaring with a slinky, gritty, slightly psychedelic sensibility. Lyrically, there’s shame and anger, but also jolts of naked desire:
“Sometimes I feel unreachable
But if you break me I might fall
Sometimes I’m good yes I can walk
Sometimes I just need to crawl
So push me up against the wall”
In the corresponding video, Weil runs playfully through a snowy wood, leaning suggestively against the trees, and you can see her laugh a little when she sings the line “And screw me good/’Cause it’s not nice.” Eventually, she’s caught by a man whose face we never see – his arms wrapped around her lovingly. The final provocative shot is a closeup of a tree’s branches, the snow shaking off of them rhythmically.
“‘Unsatisfied’ is an unapologetic track about giving into what we want, consequences be damned,” Weil explains. “It provides a refreshingly honest take on female desire unburdened by social norms. It’s a fun and flirty track that defies the stale narrative that women can’t have as much of a libido as men have.”
The song captures Weil’s real emotions from a situation that felt complex, and the song changed from when it was first written to when it was recorded.
“Initially, I was exorcizing shame and anger. I was ashamed of myself for letting myself be mistreated and then crawling right back to the same situation,” she divulges. “But over time, I have leaned into something more playful and rebellious. I wasn’t a victim – I had agency and I made choices. Even though the lyrics haven’t changed, I’ve managed to access another aspect of life in the song. Less shame and more reveling in the pleasure of the moment. Shame and pleasure do, on occasion, shadow one another.”
Weil purposely left the song, and the video, ambiguous so as to allow the listener to fill in the narrative gaps.
“I explore the playful parts of the song more in the music video where I laugh and dance in a snowstorm,” she says. “While running from something or someone. Who or what? That is left to the imagination.”
Still, the song is meant to foster connection, to get listeners to tap into their own vulnerability and their own desire.
“When I first started to play this song in bars, I felt exposed,” Weil recalls. “So if you listen to the song and it feels like I’m letting you in on a secret, it’s because I am. I think this is why it ended up being the song people would connect with the most. It moved them. It’s always the one I get approached about after a set.”
Silka Weil is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter who has been active as a musician for several years. Weil’s debut single, “Capsized,” her first commercial release, was well-received by critics and listeners alike and received international radio play. Her second single, “Unsatisfied,” is the precursor to an EP that will be released this Spring.
Watch the video for “Unsatisfied” below and learn more about Silka Weil via our mini-interview.
Hi Silka! You’ve been in this space before, so what’s been going on since your last single?
Honestly, so much has gone on! I’ve been adapting to the process of putting myself out there on social media and promoting myself as an artist, something that is new to me. I’ve been enjoying the feedback and connecting with others through my music; people who I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to cross paths with. I’ve also gotten back into the studio for my next project, and everything I’ve done so far has helped me feel more prepared and excited for what will come next. I’ve also been getting ready to release my first EP. Lately, there have been a lot of late-night calls with my creative friends who’ve been helping put together the pieces, such as the website (silkaweil.com) and music videos.
Tell us about the process of writing “Unsatisfied.”
Writing “Unsatisfied” was a raw experience. It was the first time I had really channeled my anger and shame into a piece of work that I felt I could share. It was also the first time I’d realized how powerful writing music could make me feel. It was the song that gave me permission to more fully access my darker emotions. It reveals the parts of ourselves that we don’t usually share. The times when we said yes when we knew full well we should have said no.
Even though the single is “Unsatisfied,” what makes you satisfied and happy?
I’ve come so far since I initially wrote “Unsatisfied.” It was what I needed to process at the time in order to learn personal boundaries. In doing so, I came out stronger. Today I am happily engaged to a wonderful partner, and I am surrounded by supportive friends and family. I think community is so important for happiness, to feel connected to others. I am also lucky enough to live near the waterfront. We go out for walks as much as we can, and in the summer we love to kayak and paddleboard along Lake Saint-Louis.
What are your plans for the Spring?
I’d like to start performing again. I’m also getting back into the studio to start working on my next project. Spring of course has me dreaming of hot summer days filled with festivals here in Montreal.
Glad to see you’ve made it past COVID, what did you learn about yourself since then?
As an occupational therapist (my other job!), I’ve seen the effects of the pandemic on the healthcare system firsthand. Particularly the negative effects of social isolation. I’ve been staying positive by focusing on what I can offer and how I can be of service to others. Recently, this has translated into facilitating group activities in my current role on a youth mental health team. At work, I’ve been running leisure group activities to get people back out into social situations to foster connection. In doing so, I’ve witnessed directly the healing benefits of bringing people together. Music is a powerful catalyst for connection, and so my colleagues and I are developing a music program, which has been a long-time dream of mine. We started piecing it together after noticing how many of our clients are musically inclined. We’ve been collecting instruments and finding a space where we can gather to play music with our clients. What I’ve learned through the past several years is that we all have something to offer.
Connect with Silka Weil:
Website
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