About
SELKEN is the bummer pop/indie rock project of Chicago-based songwriter Heather Styka, whose lyrics-forward writing has earned praise from No Depression for songs that “make you feel as if you are peeking into her diary.” After more than a decade touring as a solo folk artist, Styka’s shift into SELKEN marks a clear evolution in sound. The project draws from pop, alt-country, and indie rock to create music that's as lush and sparkling as it is emotionally direct. Scummy Water Tower describes the result as “richly layered soundscapes,” while Americana Highways notes its “atmospheric mood that’s gripping.”
Working with producer JG Shadid—an Emmy-nominated composer, educator on YouTube’s Reverb channel, and co-founder of The Red Room—Styka crafted The Winds. Wildfire Music calls the album “a meditation on how to survive the winds of change.” Built on close harmonies, shimmering synths, and patient arrangements, the songs resist easy conclusions. Fervor Coulee describes SELKEN as “atmospheric pop presented with insightful observations of a troubled world,” anchored by a voice that feels both intimate and steady. These songs are meant to hold space rather than solve problems, speaking to people who are grieving, searching, or in transition.
There’s a quiet sense of crossing in SELKEN’s music, influenced by the idea of the selkie and the siren—figures that move between worlds without fully belonging to one. Styka’s voice draws listeners in gently, never demanding attention but holding it through restraint and tone. Her visual world hints at vintage glamour—dim lights, mirrorballs, soft edges—while the songs themselves feel rooted in lived experience. Shaped by coastal memories and city life, SELKEN’s music lives in the space between longing and resilience, memory and motion. Traces of old folk songs, 1970s rock, and vintage pop surface within sparkling synth arrangements, creating songs meant to hold space rather than solve. The Winds invites listeners to slow down, sit with uncertainty, and find meaning in what lingers.
Lead vocals, bass / Heather Styka
Synth, guitar, vocals / JG Shadid
Drums, vocals / Jake Hawrylak (Maiden King)
Guitar, vocals / Shelby Pollard (Black Bobbin)
Press:
“This Chicago-based project’s debut LP, Selken – The Winds, dips generously into vintage pop files & alt-country traditions… low-flame seductive yet graceful… The musicians lay down an atmospheric mood that’s gripping.” - Americana Highways
“The Weather Station meets Kathleen Edwards, atmospheric pop presented with insightful observations of a troubled world with Dar Williams’ focus on lyrical precision and Kacy Lee Anderson’s sunshiny rootsicana voice. Selken is a delightful, unexpected collaboration.” - Fervor Coulee
“Selken’s debut album The Winds … is a cathartic exploration of personal and societal sea change, of burying old dreams to make room for new ones.” - Wildfire Music
“SELKEN marks an adventurous new chapter… to expand beyond folk and experiment and explore new sonic terrain.” - Scummy Water Tower