This is the first physical release from Bird Sounds and the four years it took them to put together a 7” has given them time to develop their sound. The songs on their digital EP, Girl Sounds (2008) were rougher and dirtier, while the New 7” has a tighter and more crisp sound and production. Musically, it’s something of a punk-garage-rock blend, with the garage influencing structures, while the punk comes through in volume and aggression. Genre be damned, I’d just call it rock’n’roll that breaks down into noisy, bestial aggression at times, while wallowing in joyful, forward-driving rhythms for the majority. Think 3/4s John Reis projects, 1/4 something more deconstructionist and psych-punk.
It starts on a positive and catchy note in “Country.” There’s a bounce in drummer Charlie Smyrk’s beats, and a positivity that runs as the band sings, “I had a dream I saw you naked/ felt so real I woke up shaking.” Toward the end, the beat falters and the guitar steps up before it quickly segues into a second song, “Seen It Coming” [sic]. Here, the tempo slows and there’s a looser tone before it picks back up for a b-side “Ben Frank,” which continues the noisy, garage-y feel, but has a bit of Todd Congelliere spaciness in the guitar melody. These three tracks, mostly forward plotting in their energy, make up the 7”, while a fourth song is added as a downloadable track. “Fortune” sees the band turning up the dials and vocalist Matt Semke’s rips his vocal chords open about thirty seconds in. The added dynamics serve the song well, as give a nice closing feel to the EP.
