Exploring Birdsong: Every House We Built
Progressive rock band Exploring Birdsong claim a solid position in the genre-blending realm, as their debut album ‘Every House We Built’ masterfully reflects on the beauty and darkness of the emotional journey of relationships.
At a pre-release event in London to promote the album, vocalist Lynsey Ward shared that heavy music was the cornerstone of the trio’s friendship and has always been an influence in the music they create. An obvious inspiration has been drawn from the likes of Evanescence, Kate Bush and Hayley Williams, as pointed out by Ward, but I would throw a bit of Walking on Cars into the mix for the more piano-driven sound layered in several tracks.
The album, which was released on 26 June, uses a poem written by drummer Matt Harrison as a thematic foundation that walks us through a cinematic journey exploring love in each of its forms and reflecting both the beauty and impermanence of connection.
‘Every House We Built’ starts with thunderstormy and piano-heavy ‘Archipelago’, followed by singles ‘42’ and ‘Romanticise’ which have already won listeners’ attention for their catchy and fresh sound.
Towards the middle, the album takes us to ‘Arrhythmia’ which is a mesmerising story that reflects on the desire for comfort from someone no longer present, leaving a lingering feeling of emptiness and longing.
It is followed by another single track, ‘Spy In The House Of Love’ – an uptempo tune that has the perfect soundtrack quality for your typical easygoing rom-com, as the melody is easy on the ears and has a quite catchy chorus.
It’s not until the second half of the album that the harder-hitting sound really picks up. After the enchanting ‘I_You’ amplified by impressive string work and a surprising use of cow bells in the background just for fun, the mood gets darker in ‘The Warning’ which is arguably among the most powerful titles all across.
This is followed by ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’, which I believe is the obvious banger on this album, making this musical journey a hauntingly beautiful experience in a league of its own. Ward’s impeccable vocals soar along blistering drum pounding, and a solid bass foundation from bassist and keyboardist Jonny Knight.
The pace cools down towards the end of the album. The title track has a little surprise up its sleeve, bringing anthem-worthy screaming back vocals that suitably complement Ward’s heavenly voice, supported by banging drums and bass foundation.
The final track, ‘Meadowlands’, closes the loop in the right place, allowing for calmness and hope to meet and keep each other company for what’s ahead on their path.
While I would have appreciated hearing more solid rock-infused sound from Exploring Birdsong, with this album, the band are clearly stepping into a new experimental territory and promises to be a name that the scene will certainly pay close attention to from now on.
To promote ‘Every House We Built’, the band has announced four UK dates in late September, so make sure to catch them live if you can!