Dublin singer-songwriter Robbie Stickland has released his debut single Lizard. Formerly known as Spongebob Eyelashes, Stickland is something of a cult hero in the Dublin indie scene, having supported Fontaines D.C. and Paddy Hanna under his previous moniker. Lizard is the lead single from his upcoming album ‘Warm Jeans In The Morning’ out 10th February.

Lizard and its parent album follow on from Stickland’s ‘Quit College, Worship Satan’ EP. Self-recorded in a collaborative space in Crumlin, Lizard is a charming slice of jangle-pop and is a fitting first release from the singular songwriter. Breezy vocals and lush guitar lines are entwined around a track around a song about body dysmorphia and self-care. Think Ariel Pink or Porches.

Stickland penned the inward-looking track to provide an insight to his relationship with his own mind and body. In his own words: “The idea that someone can see themselves not as a person but as this horrible scaly lizard monster that hurts themselves, hurts people around them and turns in on themselves as a result of trauma inflicted on them or past behaviours they are ashamed of. The first step to breaking these cycles and repairing the relationship with the self is acknowledgement and ultimately self-forgiveness”.

This epiphany is reflected in the mantra-like outro. Stickland sings “I love you” to himself over and over again as an affront to his existential angst. “Maybe by repeating that to myself often enough, it would become more powerful than the negative voice even if I didn’t fully believe it at the beginning.