There’s nothing quite like a band that really strips back a new release to prove it hasn’t forgotten the roots of its original sound.
Brace sees Australian rock stalwarts Birds Of Tokyo do just that. The dark and dystopian record embraces a more heavy and urgent attitude, focused around the history of sounds that made Birds Of Tokyo one of the country’s most popular contemporary rock bands, while adding a little synth flavour reminiscent of the ’80s.
And as a true sign of the times, the new album is laced with subtle political messages, as bassist Ian Berney explains. “I read a great quote from [MC Solo of] Horrorshow who says he feels artists have a responsibility to write about the world we live in. [The album is] about pointing out what’s wrong and unfair, never about jumping on some Trump-bashing bandwagon – but the more people that are, the better.”
For the first time in Birds Of Tokyo’s career, Brace represents new music that’s been written around a visual landscape, and designed to be performed live. “Birds have quite often written music first and put lyrics in last,” explains Berney. “Not to discount anyone’s contributions, but starting off with a visual approach and wanting those ideas to influence the sounds – the more we discussed these things as a band, the more the record wasn’t going in the direction of a calming folksy album. The whole conversation really honed in on an identity for the songs with a semi-political landscape.
“Songs were being created and ideas thrown around from a very different place. It wasn’t a live place – nine out of ten bands when they form, you begin as a live band and worry about becoming a more experienced studio band down the line. [2013 album] March Fires had a slower atmospheric sound, and even all the talk to tear it back down to bring it back up again, it feels like that kind of idea is more suited to the Brace idea we’re doing right now. It was more about what would work better in a live environment, it was more about building a show and have the song support that, rather than putting out a record and worrying about how we’re going play it live. The roles were reversed.”
With an end-of-days mood pervading each of the ten tracks, Berney agrees there may be certain subliminal messages around the band’s political leanings attached to the electronic ’80s feel of Brace. “I guess the ‘end of days’ thing was probably influenced by the sci-fi sounds and movies that we’re referencing. It’s not leaning on anything dystopic as bands used to do, but it gave us a world where we could apply conversations of the day.
“Flick on the telly and it’s about same-sex marriage, animal abuse, people’s rights, Sydney lockout laws, things happening to the music industry, things directly affecting our work. We’ve all listened to a lot of politically charged music, but never felt we needed to raise a flag and put ourselves in a cult of that kind of artist. Now it feels like it would be irresponsible to not use our music to shine that kind of light.”
There was a lot for Birds Of Tokyo to consider in writing the album: a new creative starting point, current affairs, and staying true to their traditional sound, all the while bringing something audibly fresh to the table.
“Everything came from a fairly visual place,” says Berney. “When the guys are messing around with synth sounds, you’re like, ‘Woah, that sounds like something out of Neverending Story or Blade Runner, and you kind of put yourself in an ’80s world, and we’re like, ‘Hang on, we don’t want to write an ’80s record.’
“We’re going to great lengths to give it a 2017 version of Birds – [Brace] is defo the best record because of how naturally it has come. I could talk to you in three years’ time and we could be putting out a record completely different to this. There’s nothing more frustrating than other people thinking they have you figured out. While this new record may be more in favour with people who liked our earlier stuff, it still feels like completely new territory for us, for the worlds we combine together – the natural rock band and the countless hours spent on design and studio wizardry.”
As Birds Of Tokyo bring together the past, present and future, and switch up both their writing process and the influence behind their work, the scene is set for their most electrifying tour yet.
“We’ve built some incredible visuals,” says Berney. “We’re really trying to do justice for the songs, picking out venues – trying to get into venues like Metro City [in Perth] where you can get in people’s faces much more. We’re gonna work on delivering both the new stuff and the old stuff.”
[Birds Of Tokyo photo by Mclean Stephenson]
Brace is out now through EMI; and Birds Of Tokyo play at the Enmore Theatre on Friday December 16.
