ALBUM REVIEW: Exploring Birdsong – ‘Every House We Built’

Not to belabour a point or anything but…Sleep Token, eh? Pretty big now; pretty important. They’ve also got a fanbase that’s exceedingly normal and gets an adequate amount of in-person interaction. Obviously that’s the case when your existence is dedicated to poring over every scrap of lore dangled in front of your face, but I digress. Anyway, it’s no surprise to see investigation undertaken towards espera, a trio of backing vocalists with a lot of commendable credits under their belt, but now best known for their association with Sleep Token. And hey, would you look at that?—espera’s Lynsey Ward is also the singer of Exploring Birdsong, a squint away from sounding just like Sleep Token. Funny how that works, isn’t it?!

In all fairness, though, this is what Exploring Birdsong have always sounded like. They’ve not made a beeline to the bandwagon upon learning of its generous suspension capable of holding so, so many hangers-on. No, their lofty, poppy piano-prog sound was picked up independently, thus free from the terminal bogging-down of Vessel’s lot. They tend to be pretty good too, where such a honed pop sensibility sits well as the core component. What Exploring Birdsong have lacked thus far in explosively sticky moments, they’ve more than compensated for in clarity of vision.

That’s somewhat true of Every House We Built as well, albeit with more adventurousness to see it quicker over the finish line. Appropriate for a debut full-length, there’s an extra grab made, without straying too far from what’s replicable in a piano-pop context. Thus, opener Archipelago sounds like a new age-y, ‘wonders of nature’ piece that would soundtrack a SeaWorld show; Romanticise and Spy In The House Of Love are admirable stabs at synthpop twirls; I_You opts for a more chipper, upbeat template. Some dryness in the mix can gate off the absolute most effective outcomes, but it’s nothing that Exploring Birdsong trip over too much.

In fact, if you’re slotting them alongside others in the progressive music space, Every House We Built clears vast swathes on inspiration alone. For as precarious as the ledge between exhaling, expansive prog-pop and faux-Evanescence can seem, it’s another thing that Exploring Birdsong are rather deft at getting around. For one, there’s nothing close to the same clunk hanging from them like an anchor. It’s best exemplified on You Like It Best When It Hurts, in which the prog-metal shape is rounded out and made more opulent. Even if there’s not the most vibrant colours or hues on Exploring Birdsong’s palette, it’s not clinical or dispassionate, either. The pianos and statuesque poise aren’t just shorthand for how this is supposed to be; they’re how it is.

That in itself is a sizable hurdle to get over, one that Every House We Built is more than capable of doing. When the central theme of the album is vulnerability and exploring darker cracks and fractures within a once-steadfast relationship dynamic, you expect them to. But with Ward’s voice and the aerated feel of it all, the foundation for Exploring Birdsong to do what they need is rock-solid. It’s an exceptionally listenable formula they’ve got, and one that doesn’t really dwindle as it goes along. The seven-minute closer Meadowlands feels surprisingly compact on listen, likely because its gleaming crescendo is just that attractive.

To its detriment, meanwhile, Every House We Built doesn’t have the same vice-grip on the zeitgeist’s jugular as Sleep Token, though that’s more for the boardrooms to worry about than the listeners. Exploring Birdsong are actually the better version—they’re leaner; they’re sharper; they have a singer who doesn’t sound like they’re permanently passing a kidney stone. And although there’s still a few steps to go before undeniable excellence is in view, a debut full-length that establishes this much good shouldn’t be overlooked.

For fans of: Sleep Token, Karnivool, Cold Night For Alligators

‘Every House We Built’ by Exploring Birdsong is released on 26th June on Long Branch Records.

Words by Luke Nuttall