Catherine Tunks lets 'Nightbird' fly for Mental Health Awareness

Catherine Tunks’ new single ‘Nightbird’ brings dreamy dark guitar (Gavin Dowling) that flies with an edgy yet seductive violin (Krissy Jackson) to a ‘gothic country groove’ laid down by Alex Griffith (bass) and Michael Barker (drums). ‘Nightbird’ was part of a Creative New Zealand project recorded at Revolver studios with Peter Wood after the end of the first year of Covid.

With a lyrical analogy that comes from mental struggle that many of us went through in this covid era, this lush gothic country tale tells of the wandering mind that can so easily slip away into the darkness of mental anguish, so hard to climb out of the river once in.

Released specifically for Mental Health Awareness week, Tunks held on to the song, originally written almost 2 years ago because of its personal meaning to her, having struggled with mental health which she says reached an all time low during this year.

“You may reach a stage in your life where it just feels like an emotional and mental boxing ring, and the dark horse, the black dog, the deep water can pull one under – and the Nightbird you hear during the night can feel like a seductive call away from reality, those dark thoughts that may not leave you when your world has become blurred and distorted – thats the inspiration for this song.”

Letting this song go is about ‘creative release’ says Tunks - creatives are particularly prone to this risk - one has to reach out and do the work, mental health can be harder to correct than physical health. This year’s Mental Health Awareness week is about connection, which got totally distorted for a lot of people thanks to the Covid era.

Cat Tunks plays Hokianga Country Music Festival Sept 30-Oct 2nd, and Auckland Blues Festival Nov 12th .