This is the first single from Astara Black, a preview from the album "Rollerbird" due out later in the year. With a connection to music that traces back to the release of Bring on the Rain in 2004, new project Astara Black has been a labor of love between singer-songwriter Whitney Cline and producer/keyboardist Eric Davis of the band Hembree. Now, the 6 songs that make up "Rollerbird" are ready for release later this year. "New Green Desert" is the first single from this powerful collection of songs, bringing together elements of synthpop with a core aesthetic informed by roots and country that reminds us a little bit of what could happen if The Secret Sisters made an album with Depeche Mode.

"New Green Desert," originally sparked by a road trip through the desert, lays bare the very human need for a personal narrative: it is not enough to simply witness beauty–we must understand what it means. Yet, it is precisely in those moments of uncertainly that our creative impulses have free reign. Driven to tears by the unspeakable beauty of her surroundings, in that fertile soil of unexpected inspiration, the lyrics to this enigmatic song were born.

Stretching towards a troubled sky
So dark and yet so shining
I pray my silent prayer behind the wheel
Like a baby’s hand reaching
To taste and know to be and feel

With this work, Whitney is coming to terms with the full circle of life choices. At a younger age, she was still locked into some childhood trauma, and it was through this long detour of becoming a responsible adult that she was able to reconnect with her authentic self. "New Green Desert" represents the importance of such a transformation. A deep midtempo groove and a bubbly bass line provide the foundation for an assortment of reverb-drenched guitar riffs, as the energetic flow of this song rises and falls like so many dunes in the Mojave desert.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Whitney Cline was raised in New England, alternating between Massachusetts and Maine. After getting started with music at the age of 18, she took a detour through the world of acting, studying briefly at RADA in London before completing her MFA at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts.

While working with Jeff Bridges in Blown Away, Whitney found herself increasingly drawn to the singer-songwriter scene in Los Angeles that was at the time giving rise to young hopefuls like Katy Perry and Sara Bareilles. Her debut full length album "Bring on The Rain" was released in 2004, as herself, but she let go of music for a while to become a responsible adult.

The project Astara Black was born years ago in Peru during an Ayahuasca retreat. More recently, the project finally culminated in a collaboration with Eric Davis (keyboard player for band Hembree) to produce and engineer this current body of work. The EP, Rollerbird, is a sensual reconnection to authentic self and natural life energy through music, exploring themes of longing, remembrance, and unification.

Visit Astara Black on Instagram.