EP Review: Exploring Birdsong – The Thing With Feathers

Both their band name and EP title suggest something to do with nature writing rather than rock’n’roll, and the truth about Exploring Birdsong is no less unusual.

This striking Liverpudlian trio deal in piano-led music of considerable grace and beauty, their songs so fully realised that the absence of six-string guitars is entirely inconspicuous. Unusual structures and the occasional jazz-prog bass lick make tracks like The Baptism addictive stuff for fans of the unconventional.

However, this is also a collection blessed with hooks which would work equally well in more conventional emo or alt-rock contexts. Much of the credit for this lies with Lynsey Ward’s powerful vocals, which soar mesmerisingly throughout.

While there are occasional hints of a less melodramatic Evanescence, what’s remarkable is how such a new band have both hit upon and fully delivered on their genuinely idiosyncratic vision so early on.

Verdict: 4/5