Album Review: Exploring Birdsong – Every House We Built (Long Branch Records)

‘Every House We Built’ is the debut album from Exploring Birdsong, out 26th June via Long Branch Records. At its core, Every House We Built is an album about relationships, friendships, family ties and romance. Using the metaphor of houses to frame the fragile and evolving nature of these bonds.

It’s not a complex metaphor but it works well as everyone can relate to it in some way or another, and the strength of feeling in the album shines brightly. Brimming with heart and soul, it’s a very special listen and one of my favourites of the year.

I’m not sure anyone will be quite prepared for the emotional intensity of opening track, Archipelago. A beautiful showcase of fragility, delivered in engaging fashion via Lynsey Ward’s immense vocals.

Things then shift as 42 arrives in body shaking fashion, showcasing a certain alternative rock and pop-infused potency. Where catchiness is key, but only because all the elements work so well together. The lyrics perfectly capture the paranoia-based thread that runs through it, but I think I’m preaching to the choir when I say that Exploring Birdsong’s ability to tell stories is unmatched.

Something that is further expressed through the bouncy back and forth of Romanticise, a track with rock oomph, and something that is further showcased through the melancholic drama of Footprints. I really like the way in which the latter carefully, and cleverly, navigates the choppy waters of inherited loss. A complex subject that doesn’t come up much, so it’s cool to hear it tackled in believable fashion.

An unstoppable force with widespread appeal, Exploring Birdsong is a band you simply can’t ignore, and the middle part of the album features some of their strongest songs. From the heart-wrenching soft melodies of Arrhythmia, to the one of my favourites, Spy in the House of Love, which has some really interesting experimental aspects, and I_You, which is daringly upbeat. There’s some really clever music here, varied and fun, but also meaningful. Exploring Birdsong don’t really do fluff, but they expertly combine weight with buoyancy, so the listener never feels dragged down.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re not brave enough to bring the darkness, it just so happens to always come tinged with light. Although, sometimes, that just heightens the gloom. The Warning is one such track, and it stays with you long afterwards. One word that comes to mind is haunting, but another could be powerful, especially as the band’s experimental side is pushed to new heights. It is another impressive effort that needs time to sink in. Whereas You Like It Best When It Hurts is way more direct, being a heavier effort and showing off a different side to the band. Although when I say heavy, we are talking about Exploring Birdsong here so temper your expectations a bit.

Who is complaining though!? I’m certainly not, especially as they’re such an upfront band and consistently willing to bear their souls. Which brings us to the stunning harmony of Cartography and the title track, which tackles the subject of heartbreak in emphatic fashion. Even though it comes with a delicateness that is akin to holding the breath, right up to the end when a massive exhale releases pent up feeling.

It could be the finale, but the creative tear this band is on, isn’t quite over. Wrapping up a debut to remember with their longest track yet. Called Meadowlands, it’s a journey with hope embedded within. Embrace the feeling, enjoy the fact that even though we hurt sometimes, hope never dies. On an album filled with expression, this closer somehow ends up standing as tall as all the rest.

Exploring Birdsong – Every House We Built Track Listing:

1. Archipelago
2. 42
3. Romanticise
4. Footprints
5. Arrhythmia
6. Spy in the House of Love
7. I_You
8. The Warning
9. You Like it Best When it Hurts
10. Cartography
11. Every House We Built
12. Meadowlands

Links

Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram