muuk, the Copenhagen-based artist and songwriter, released “starfish” on August 8th, her third and final single ahead of her upcoming EP. Written by muuk, Victor Stockholm Fog, and Michael Mentz Hansen, composed by Michael Mentz Hansen, who also produced the track, with stem mastering by Jacob Gunther Andersen and cover art by muuk and Victor Stockholm Fog, distributed by Believe Music.
“starfish” opens with delicate little twinkles that set a dreamy, almost weightless tone immediately, and then muuk’s voice comes in, and you’re completely held. When she delivers “grab my hand” in the opening lines, it’s so beautiful. Her voice throughout the track is effervescent and captivating. I found myself listening to how she says things as much as what she was actually saying; it’s truly a great voice.
The chorus is where the song opens up entirely. “I’m a starfish, does it freak you out when I’m acting like myself?” is delivered with an upbeat energy that feels almost liberating, a sharp and striking contrast to the lyrics. That tension is what makes “starfish” so compelling. The production is dreamy and uplifting, while the words describe something painful, an uneven relationship built on fear and desperation of not wanting to be left behind. muuk herself described feeling miserable in this period, yet genuinely believing that this was the love of her life, and that contradiction lives in every corner of this song.
The visual world she has built around “starfish” is equally captivating. Reminiscent of Petra Collins but darker, the imagery is a lone figure holding a glowing star in a vastly dark field, and a striking close-up portrait of her with heavy eyes and a layered blue dress. It feels like a fully realized artistic statement. The nature around her acting, beauty as armor. I admire that in an artist, and the way she set me up in a world where I could visualize the song with the images, truly a great quality the artist has.
“starfish” is a beautiful effervescent song with a real emotional depth underneath it. muuk is an artist worth your time, and I hope you listen to her upcoming EP.
Written by Anthony Perez
