After spending the last few months building up to the release of his eagerly awaited new album ‘Human Beauty’, London-based singer and songwriter The Birthday Letters has now unveiled his new collection.
Filled with a mix of low and atmospheric electronics, alongside his own passionate guitar playing, this new record sees the frontman channel a whole range of directions and aesthetics. While sticking firmly to a cool and breezy intention, there are remnants of surf-rock and dream-pop layered within his multifaceted new offering.
So with his new release doing the rounds right now, we took some time with him to find out more about the new full-length and what he has in store for us in the future.
Words by Chris Bound
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Chris) Hi, how are you today?
The Birthday Letters) Great thanks - just gearing up for a summer of writing and recording. As gigging is off the cards currently - trying to make the best of the situation.
For those that haven’t heard of you yet, how would you best describe your sound and who have been your biggest influences so far?
I’m really into interesting lyricists first and foremost; Conor Oberst, Father John Misty, Leonard Cohen etc. As far as my musical sound goes - I guess it's an amalgamation of what I have to hand - electric/acoustic guitars, drum machines, old keyboards.
You have just released your new album ‘Human Beauty’. Can you tell us how that release came about?
I understand that releasing an album in this day and age as a smaller artist is not advisable, but it's something I felt very strongly about. It was recorded during winter 2019 and early 2020 at home - a lot of the songs came out quickly as I was recording, some were slightly older. All the material was written in the last 12 months. I suppose it’s a shot in the dark as a release but what the hell.
And was there a particular style you were looking for when you wrote it?
I came to the point where I realised that a contrived style would be a failure as I couldn’t hope to achieve what I had in my head, so in many ways the sound or style is instinctual to what the songs demanded. These ones felt like a very natural, intuitive evolution.
What songs on the album are you most proud of?
‘Open Heart Learning’ feels like the most honest song I’ve ever written - I can stand by every single word on that one and it truly reflects how I feel.
The coronavirus outbreak has obviously affected everyone’s plans, but what have you got in store for the rest of the year?
To be honest; survival and avoidance of apocalyptic anxiety.
And finally, what has been the most rewarding thing about writing an album?
I often feel that creativity is akin to a bodily function. My digestive system is now clear so to speak and I can start to consume again.