When we first started playing together, back in the dark autumn of 2011 in Malmö, Sweden, our songs were largely singer-songwriter based, enlisting a variety of instruments (vocals, guitar, bass, piano, drums, violin, flute, harmonica and xylophone) as a backdrop to the core songs. As we came to know each other as musicians, we gradually found the sound we have today. All seven members of the band come from different musical backgrounds, and our music reflects these differences, showing an influence from folk, indie, hard rock, punk, and pop - all melded together into our own brand of dreamy melancholic indie pop.
We have played together for a couple of years now and have been through challenges both in life and with the band. Four of us have gotten kids along the way, some have side projects, and we all have different lives. We also changed band members but since about four years ago we've settled our crew.
We have always strived with regular band practices and it has been important to move forward creating and recording new songs. We all share the joy of playing music together and we value the creative democratic process where everyone is contributing. It takes time but in the end it's worth it.
Our songs are mostly based on the challenge of coping with the feelings that arise from the struggle of existing in today's world: dealing with hatred around you; how love can make you feel either good or bad; how your own mind can prevent you from doing things you should. Underlying topics like feminism and relations are always present somewhere. But sometimes we just sing about slightly-crazy fun ideas.
In 2017 we released our first five-song EP. The songs center on themes of joy and belief in a better world; but are also melancholic and introspective. It took quite some time to record it, with many sessions and scheduling mayhem. There were kids, dogs, beer, tea, and joy in the studio with us. We had a great engineer behind the board, and now it is finally complete.
The EP has been well received, and there have been some excellent reviews and an ever-increasing number of streams on Spotify - more than we had dared to hope for.
Reviewers have described our songs as "emotional", "scenic", "life-affirming", and as "rosy twee-pop".
We have been played twice on Swedish national radio which is really exciting.
All five songs on the EP tell markedly different stories.
First there is “Familiar sounds”, it is about nostalgia and joy - about losing yourself in a feeling in the night and dancing barefoot in the grass.
“Dog song” is about... well, it speaks for itself; it's about the dream to have a fluffy dog. We really enjoy this song. It provokes a wide variety of reactions.
“What if” is about the gloom and dread one feels when everything seems impossible and you feel you are the only one who feels that way - when the body feels heavy from melancholy and discouragement.
“Wintercold” is a song about a love that can never be.
Last but not least, “Our city” is about everyone living together in one big city and standing up against the hate instead of pushing each other away because of different opinions and beliefs.
We have recently done a video recording outdoors in cold November weather, but it was good fun and the result will appear soon. Also, recently we had a concert in the nearby university city, Lund.
So fun to reach out with our music and meet new people. We plan to do more gigs and we long for recording new material.
Now we fly!
Links
WEBSITE: https://birdsonclouds.wordpress.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/birdsonclouds/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/birds_clouds
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/birdsonclouds/