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Photo by Emil Gentes

Indie-rock songstress Philine Sonny is back with her first release of 2025, “Gatekeeper.” Sonny is not one to hold back in her music, tackling difficult subject matter with care and honesty. “Gatekeeper” continues this trend as Sonny reflects on being a woman in the music industry. 

Speaking on the song Sonny shared, “‘Gatekeeper’ is a confident song about not feeling respected as a woman in the music industry and most importantly, about not accepting that anymore. It’s a big middle finger to some of the men that have been to my shows and crossed boundaries in subtle or not-so-subtle ways.”

Sonny’s lyrics are biting and candid, as she lays out her frustrations singing “We’re classified, patronized / Disrespected, pressurized.” She calls out the man in charge without fear telling him, “You’re a fucking know-it-all / Shoving C up the noses of your sleaze bags / A megalomaniac getting off on the bruises on our knees.” The instrumentation reflects the anger and frustration found in the lyrics. The single opens with steady drums that never let up. Electric guitars and strings also make an experience, building out a full bodied instrumentation that doesn’t let the listener relax for even a moment. Sonny is determined to get her point across, to make the people that wield their power over her listen to her, and the intense instrumentation supports this goal. Add in the lyrics and the result is a powerful, fearless statement. 

Alongside the single’s release comes the announcement of Sonny’s debut album Virgin Lake, set to release on April 3rd, 2026.