Choosing the Shadow - Gun-Shy Butterfly's "Dark Side" is a Fierce and Fearless Statement of Self

On their debut single “Dark Side,” Philadelphia’s Gun-Shy Butterfly don't just dip a toe into the waters of emotional reckoning. They dive headfirst, fully clothed with truths laid bare.

The duo, composed of multi instrumentalists and seasoned songwriters Andrea Tarka White and Julie Exter, arrives with an unapologetic sound and message that feels like a heady balm.

Listen here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7pTIhrjJza4SSkos54K6En

Anchored in the sound DNA of early 1990's alt-rock and grunge, “Dark Side” builds up a massive wall of distorted guitars, thumping percussion and sharp, melodic vocals that recall the cathartic power of bands like Veruca Salt, L7, and the Breeders.

But what sets Gun-Shy Butterfly apart is not just nostalgia - it’s more the depth of experience that saturates every note and lyric. This is music made by artists who have been through the fire, and who aren’t interested in playing nice to be heard.

Lyric wise, "Dark Side" unspools a deeply personal narrative of betrayal, loss and rebirth. White, who penned the lyrics, speaks with a brutal clarity about a period of life when she lost literally everything - her friendships, her social identity and the belief that she was even deserving of love. In a world that demands women stay smiling through pain and to stay small in the face of mistreatment the song's refusal to sugarcoat suffering is revolutionary.

The narrative itself rejects a kind of toxic optimism in favor of embracing the uncomfortable truth: that sometimes choosing yourself means stepping into the darkest parts of your experience:

"Dark Side is about a moment in time when I lost absolutely everything: my friends, my social life, and my sense of self. People had to choose between me and a lying, cheating man, and they chose him. I was so angry, not just that I lost everything, but that he somehow didn't.

At that moment realizing how bifurcated everything felt, him or me, right or wrong, dark or light, it changed something in me. I realized that love isn't about being positive all the time. Or being nice. It's about embracing all of who I am and moving forward. Which sometimes means standing up for myself and leaving people behind."

Exter's production work, much of it done DIY in her own basement, is a marvel in its own right. Guitar tones are rich and biting achieved on the first take - a rare feat that speaks to both technical precision and emotional instinct. Vocals were later finished at The Daisy Corner and The Gradwell House, with mixing by Dave Downham and mastering by Kim Rosen (Knack Mastering) giving the final product a polish.

The band’s name Gun-Shy Butterfly perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic and thematic duality at play. It’s beauty forged through trauma. It’s softness surviving in a brutal world. It’s the unease of being hurt so many times that even flight feels risky, but choosing it anyway. That contradiction is at the heart of their sound, and this track.

And perhaps most compelling is the broader context: both White and Exter are mothers in their 40's, navigating full-time work together with creative pursuits, and parenting. In a culture obsessed with youth and quick virality, Gun-Shy Butterfly is a much-needed counter-narrative.

"Dark Side" is for anyone who has been gaslit into silence, who has been told they are too emotional, too complicated or too much. It's for anyone who has walked away from everything to begin again. It's a song about owning your shadow, not because it is easy but because, sometimes, it's the only way forwards.

It's also an opening salvo from a band with something very real to say, and the talent and courage to say it loud.

Connect with Gun Shy Butterfly on their Website

Follow on Facebook and Instagram

Stream music on Soundcloud