Have you ever been stalked by a wild animal?
That experience was the reason behind the name of our new EP, The Wolf. It is the first in a trilogy of EPs; The Wolf, The Owl (2024), and The Bee(TBA) that were inspired by our 40-day pilgrimage under the Milky Way of The Camino Santiago de Compostela, formerly known as The Way of The Goddess, or simply, The Way.
Have a listen to our first offering, The Wolf, in its entirety on this full moon day of release…
Like what you hear? Help us spread the word and share it on your socials, send it to a friend, or support us by buying the EP! The digital extended play comes with a 20 page book of song lyrics, liner notes and photos we took on The Way.
This new body of work that we are calling, Ultreya! was years in the making. An alchemical process distilled from our (Tara Rice, singer and multi-instrumentalist; and Sködt McNalty, multi-instrumentalist and singer) weeks-long journey together on The Camino. This walking meditation from the south of France, over the Pyrenees, across the northern countryside of Spain to the Atlantic Ocean is a mystical initiation that dates back thousands of years. It continues to serve as a means for refinement and purification of self.
Here’s a short clip we recorded that explains our most excellent adventure…
On our final day of The Camino, after watching the sun set at the end of the world (Finisterre, Spain), we were confronted by a huge Iberian wolf on the rocky path. Tipped off by the clicking sound of its claws coming up from behind us, we turned around to witness this majestically terrifying beast stalking us in the dusk. As we realized what was happening, we faced our fear, stood our ground and looked the wolf straight in the eyes.
It stared right back at us.
No one breathed for what felt like forever…
Album artwork by Sködt
We were so fortunate to have shared that space with a creature so often misunderstood by humans. As if in recognition of our reverence for this divine symbol of The Goddess, the wolf bowed its head to us, low and long. Resisting all urges to walk up and pet it, we had our unforgettable moment of communion with this creature.
Our eyes locked. It felt like eternity…
After a while, we began to walk back to town in the twilight and the wolf followed us the whole way just a few paces behind us, nails click-clacking on the stones. Any time we looked back out of nervousness from the continued click-clack, the wolf would stop and simply bow its head. As we reached the edge of town, we heard the click-clack stop. Looking back, the wolf gave us one final bow and slipped off into the darkness.
“Did that just actually happen?” we asked incredulously!
That was the culmination of living out of a backpack for over a month, and it really changes your perspective on life and what you truly need to be happy and fulfilled. This is the path of the Vagabond who represents all of us, and the journey is both wistful and triumphant. We wanted to reflect that adventure in this collection of songs that illustrate this life altering psychedelic transmutation of being.
We hope you enjoy them!
Buy/Stream/Share:
BandCamp: http://5thprojekt.bandcamp.com
iTunes/Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/5th-projekt/76828529
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5mKWEp7Ftv1Rei4VRsI61B?si=XaV1uZrBRHuNNeLkj8gkaQ
