"I and so many others have experienced gaslighting, vilification, monitoring and covert manipulation." Sister Ghost shares raging punk single Not Your Toy, lines up special Valentine's Day show

Sister Ghost, aka Derry musician Shannon Delores O’Neill, has released a defiant declaration of independence in the form of raging new punk single Not Your Toy.

O’Neill, one of the emerging Irish artists Louder recommends you listen to in 2026, recorded the song in Los Angeles with producer Brad Wood (Veruca Salt, Smashing Pumpkins) and drummer Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer).

The track will feature on a forthcoming EP, set for release this Spring. It will be the follow-up to 2024's Beyond The Water album, released on Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody's Third Bar label, and a finalist for PPL Album Of The Year at the 2025 NI Music Prize.

Speaking about Not Your Toy, O'Neill says, "Whilst being a fun punk rock blast of a song, this track has a heavier meaning behind it - it’s primarily for and about those who have survived coercive control. It’s sad and yet unsurprising to read that a recent study by Safeguarding Ireland stated that '40% of the public do not fully understand what coercive control is'. This means we really need to talk about it more.

"Frustratingly, I and so many others have experienced this kind of abuse such as gaslighting, vilification, monitoring and covert manipulation. Another alarming statistic is that 33% of Women’s Aid disclosures involve coercive control by an ex. Think about that, a third of women who continue to be abused even after they have left the relationship!

"Whilst it's sadly very likely to be the case that many listeners will also identify with the subject matter, it's my sincere hope that by being vocal about it we can help call out these behaviours and reclaim our collective power."

Listen to the song below.

Sister Ghost - Not Your Toy (Official Audio) - YouTube

Watch On

Sister Ghost will play her first show of 2026 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast tomorrow, February 14.

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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

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