Bird Language release debut album ‘625 Days’ !
Bird Language craft a vast melodic expression on debut album ‘625 Days’
Boston ambient pop-rock quintet unveil cassette and digital release on May 20
OUT NOW: Listen to ‘625 Days’ on Spotify
Record release party June 17 at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston
Photo by Pat Piasecki
The music of Bird Language depicts snapshots of a larger panoramic picture. A scene from a crowded restaurant; a decision to relocate to a new city only to change course and move back; a night on the town suddenly gone awry. But like a life story, these scenes are part of a greater storyline, a more developed arc, a grander melodic expression. And each of these are told through songs, pieces of an ambient pop-rock puzzle now complete with the release of the Boston band’s debut long-player effort 625 Days. The nine-track album, its title taken from the amount of time it took to assemble, is set for release digitally and on cassette by the band itself on Friday, May 20.
Over the past few months, the first pieces to Bird Language’s musical storyline emerged through a trio of gripping singles that echoed a certain timeless quality, eliciting a media reaction that was quick to trace a lineage from ‘70s pop-rock, smooth soul, and AM gold to more modern twirls around alt-rock, indie, and expansive sonic experimentalism tightly packaged as pop music cruising in a lane outside the mainstream. It’s no surprise, then, that a band deeply rooted in the style, sound, and ethos of AOR is ready to make its boldest statement through the format of the album.
“There are a lot of vibes happening; and hopefully parts that transport the listener to different emotional places,” says guitarist Neil Simmons. “We trend toward the reverb heavy, ambient sounds, but sprinkle in some controlled rage for good measure. We want to show that we have better ideas, better chops, and more honest music than most groups around today. There’s no reason to not take risks and get a little out of our comfort zone, while still making hopefully catchy tunes.”
And that’s been on full audible display since February, when Bird Language released the album’s lead single in “Apoplectic,” a driving tune that doubled as a dreamy emotional pop song. What followed was March’s “First Date,” a ‘70s spacey groove throwback about wide-eyed couples meeting up at Highland Kitchen in Somerville, and April’s “Clear Head,” a piano rock opera that rested on the tough decisions we face to make our lives better.
“The lyrics are about personal experiences or my observations of different situations,” says vocalist, keyboardist, and pianist Jeff “Chip” Nicolai. “Some of the songs have a clear storyline but others are more vague and depict emotions or fleeting thoughts.”
Photo by Pat Piasecki
All three tracks, plus the unreleased sextet that shape 625 Days, salute back to a time when songwriting and musicianship was revered ahead of style and posture. Those three singles unlocked a deeper display of experimentalism within songwriting, where empty spaces relayed as much ethereal emotion as the notes and keys, marking Bird Language as a band releasing music time stamped in 2022 but coated with a timeless quality.
“The three singles sit right in the pocket of the album in terms of accessibility, length, tempo and lyrical and melodic expression,” says guitarist Andrew Doherty. “They do a solid job conveying what we are all about. But the album shows that Bird Language also dabbles in slow-burn jams, dream rock and straight-up guitar rock/power-pop. While each song features Bird Language’s signature ethereal fingerprint, the album ranges from expansive melancholy of ‘Too Soon’ and ‘Settle Down’ to frenetic, overflowing riffage of ‘Where I Want You’ and ‘Lean Back’.”
Combined over its 38-minute runtime, it adds up to an intoxicating aural cocktail that showcases Bird Language as a cohesive unit but also the clear strength of its individual members, with Simmons, Nicolai and Doherty rounded out by Pat Piasecki on bass and Michael Nashawaty on drums. Bird Language is a band’s band, made of musician’s musicians, a Voltron-like creative beast where all five members complement the dynamics like a veteran group and each play an integral part in the shared vision.
Upon forming, Bird Language set out to create a soundscape and environment where melody and rhythm could flourish over and above song structure and lyrics, an experimentation in creating emotion through a certain musical language. Bird Language’s initial batch of demos was rooted in this type of experimentalism, jam sessions that expounded upon loose ideas, hooks, or riffs, and an ethos that eventually crystallized into where the band is today. Over the past few years, that experimentalism has made room for storytelling, and the two pieces complement each other throughout 625 Days.
“Andrew and I bring the basic ideas forward, coming from fairly different places within the rock format,” admits Simmons. “The real magic pixie dust is created by Mike, Pat and ‘Chip’. They are what make the songs good. More than that, those three guys glue us together, keep us chill and calm and getting along. I love to hear something in my head, filter it through the other dudes and hear it transformed yet still keeping the original thought audible. The most important part is the great work ‘Chip’ does with his vocals. That’s always what people hear most upfront and can be so critical of when they hear a new band. We are lucky to have so many talented players.”
With 625 Days finally set for release, a band who first put down embryonic riffs in near isolation during the 2013 blizzard – drenched in reverb and echo to mirror the setting and experience of self-reflection, a mood still present in their songs – is finally having its voice heard. Add in the pandemic, life, and everything else that tends to distract from the best-laid plans, inspiring the LP’s moniker, and this album is an exhale.
“It’s a combination of pride, satisfaction, and relief for sticking it out,” Doherty says. “The fact that we are still friends and excited to work with each other after nearly two years of pivoting and re-strategizing goes to show what this process meant to Bird Language.”