If ‘Brace’, the title track from their fifth studio album, gives any indication as to the direction of their sound, Perth outfit Birds of Tokyo are about to launch what they call their heaviest record yet. An album packed full of intentionally solid, killer tracks fuelled by images of a dark dystopia. With the album set for release this Friday, drummer Adam Weston took the time to delve into this new exploration for the band, and the message behind this particular record.
If March Fires was a metaphorical tearing down and rebuilding of sound, Brace is in a territory all its own, something that Adam says, “just needed to happen” and taking risks creatively and changing their sound was met by the band with open arms.
“At some point, as artists, we’ve got to want to look to the left and throw a curve ball somewhere along the line”. The band had previously been held up in LA, playing, touring and living together, something that contributed to this new direction; “that’s really where we started to go down this different path, not just as a band, but as people, and as friends”. Something had to give, and when it did, Brace was born.
The particular driving force between this deliberate change of trajectory? Perhaps a collaboration between Birds of Tokyo and producer David Bottrill, known for his work with heavyweights like Silverchair, The Smashing Pumpkins and Tool, might have something to do with it. This collaboration was, as Adam puts it, “a perfect match.”
“We knew what path we wanted to take, we already had the sound, he just kind of had to come in and clean up our mess… We got him out to work on the demos and he took what we had and worked on amplifying that sound”.
Adam took a moment to reflect on the myriad of differences with this particular record in terms of sound and output. “The sound design on previous records, with tracks like ‘Lanterns’ and ‘This Fire’, was more atmospheric and very post rock, with a lot of wide and warm sounds. This time, we really thought ‘no, we’re going to do the opposite of that’”.
The theme running through the record is amplified dystopia, and the band drew inspiration from a variety of unconventional sources. “When people started to get the idea we were toying around with some heavier sounds, they automatically assumed we’d been listening to Nine Inch Nails or Tool or bands like that, but, it was really nothing to do with that at all.
“For us, it was all about referencing those classic sounds of the keys and specific visuals in a lot of late ’70s early ’80s sci-fi. I mean, it’s not anything new for artists to reference these sources, but it was definitely something new for us. It really helped shaped the world we were trying to find for these half-written songs, so once we had a path to go down with that sort of visual imagery, it helped us hone in on what kind of synth sounds we wanted to use. After that, it was a kind of no brainer that we were going to make the songs as epic and heavy as possible”.
In hindsight, the compilation album Playlist was a chance for the band to take a step back and really comprehend the gravity of their achievements, but also a way to pay homage to “Birds” as we once knew them. “Playlist was a bit of a reminder for us that we have produced a fair amount of material, but by then, we also realised it was the right time to wipe the slate clean”. Brace is really a chance to propel the band into the future; “we’re trying to make Birds feel, sound and look as 2017 as possible”.
Listening to the record, it’s clear that Brace is an album that’s meant to be played and experienced live, with Birds of Tokyo’s home town crowd getting the first taste when they kick off their tour in Perth on November 17. On this particular aspect of the live show, Adam explains, “This record is really accompanying what we want to do as a band with shows, whereas before, with previous records and tours, it was all about the shows trying to support whatever we were putting out at the time.
“We really put a lot of thought into the visual aspects and what kind of vibe we wanted to put across when performing. Thinking about it now, that’s probably how the record ended up becoming heavier and heavier as the process went on”. The excitement of the live Birds of Tokyo experience is infectious and, as Adam puts it, the band are well-and-truly “looking forward to belting these ones out”.
They’ll be doing that belting out very soon, with their ‘Brace’ tour kicking off November 17, dates below. Brace is out this Friday, and can be preordered here.
Birds Of Tokyo ‘Brace’ Tour
Special guests Strangers & Introvert
Thursday Nov 17 – Metro City Perth (Strangers & Pat Chow)
Friday Nov 18 – Thebarton Theatre Adelaide
Friday Nov 25 – The Tivoli Brisbane
Saturday Nov 26 – The Croxton Melbourne SOLD OUT
Sunday Nov 27 – The Croxton Melbourne
Friday Dec 16 – Enmore Theatre Sydney
Saturday Dec 17 – Waves Wollongong
