Exploring Birdsong: The New Era Of Prog

Whenever you think about the genre of progressive music you think of bold, indulgent guitar solos and songs which last longer than some albums but prepared to break the mould and usher in their own movement is the guitarless, piano driven three piece EXPLORING BIRDSONG.

Whilst this may sound particularly tame on the surface they have already been compared to the likes of MASTODON which is no easy feat. “Our good friend described us as if MASTODON somehow met Kate Bush in the street. We’ve never really thought of it like that but it definitely works,” explains vocalist Lynsey Ward. “I’m a huge Kate Bush fan and it’s very flattering that we are being compared to people we look up to and who are half the reason we do what we do. At the end of the day we’re all big fans of music just like everyone else so it’s really nice to get that kind of comparison.”

EXPLORING BIRDSONG blend alluring, emotive melodies alongside dramatic energy and theatrics to create an enticing soundscape which should strike a chord with a wide range of listeners. Whether you are a death metal enthusiast or lean towards the lighter side of the spectrum there is a lot to appreciate within their creations.

“There’s are definitely things in there that we’ve taken from the likes of METALLICA and things like the breakdown elements which should hit home with people and people who might be fans of proper hardcore metal fans may like our piano music!” Lynsey says. “I’m a big GENESIS and YES fan but I wanted to make our music a bit more accessible to people who may not come across our music on their musical journey. There is definitely a lot within our music where people from all walks of life can enjoy, hopefully there is something in there for everyone. I’d like to be able to reach a wider audience. There is so much that can be done with the progressive rock label and there is so much you can do with regards to experimentation which falls under that banner, you’ve basically got free rein and I think our sound is different enough to bring the genre into a new era and I’d love to be at the helm of that as there is the potential to do that. The audience exists and people seem very excited and on board with what we’re doing and I’d love to bring prog into this new space.”

Earlier this year, the band released their debut EP entitled The Thing With Feathers. These tracks were written back in 2016 and have been played live to a variety of audiences before being released into the world as part of a collective effort. “2016 was such a long time ago. There has been a lot of excitement building up and it’s felt like it’s been ours exclusively for so long and its finally time to let our child out into the world and for it to do its own thing now,” she explains. “Because it was our first extended release with the band we really want it to come across well. I think Geddy Lee from RUSH summed it up perfectly when he said that when you get up on stage and perform your music it doesn’t belong to you any more, it belongs to the audience. It’s kind of strange going through that transition but I’m happy about that and I’m super proud about it as a body of work and hopefully the reception is good!”

Rather than rush the release out, EXPLORING BIRDSONG decided to bide their time and wait for the right opportunity to come along. Their patience paid dividends as this opportunity came in the form of a record deal with Long Branch Records.

“We knew that we wanted it to go out in partnership with a record label. We knew we were happy with what we had done and it had taken us so long to get to that point. We knew we wanted it to be as good as it could be when it came out and we wanted it to achieve as much reach as it possibly could because we feel it deserved that,” Lynsey says. “Thankfully, Manuel at Long Branch came on the scene and has been really supportive with the band. It kind of all fell into place and we were hoping for that to happen. We’ve had it sitting waiting for so long and it’s been weird for us as we’ve been gigging it and people have been asking us when it will become available so they can listen to it. Now it’s finally here and I think I speak for all three of us when I say we’re very happy with how everything has turned out with Long Branch and everything has happened the way it has.”

To further emphasise that EXPLORING BIRDSONG are making waves they were hand picked to support the enigmatic SLEEP TOKEN on a handful of UK dates which gave them the ideal chance to test the waters and see how their offering would fare in a more metal focused environment. “The reception was very warm!” Lynsey exclaims. “The crowd were really receptive to our songs. We’re not in a totally different vein to SLEEP TOKEN but I was intrigued to see how we would get on with a more metal oriented crowd. There are definitely elements of our songs which are similar but I was apprehensive how they would react but people came up to us afterwards telling us how much they enjoyed it so I’m really glad.”

Despite The Thing With Feathers just officially hitting the airways, the band are already looking to the future as they build up their catalogue of material ready to continue their march of success. “We’ve got quite a bit locked away so that will be the next chapter. It’s there and it’s waiting. We’re kind of finishing off the next release worth of stuff now and we’ve had it written since the beginning of the year so it’s in the vault! We have exciting plans in store for 2020!”

The Thing With Feathers is out now via Long Branch Records. We featured the band on the cover of our December issue of Distorted Sound’s digital magazine. Head over to our Patreon Page to read it.

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