Becky And The Birds' Self-titled Debut EP

Becky and the Birds’ new self-titled E.P is an unusual piece of work, which ROUGH ONLINE highly respect because of its’ “standout-from-the-rest” quality, and authentic Chillout and Trip-Hop sounds that we quite simply don’t hear enough of at the moment. Becky’s unique vocal and weird interludes that form her debut effort are about to change all of that, beginning with the E.P’s 41-second Intro, simply titled “Becky,” consisting of the named character leaving a voicemail message via a dating line, with a list of their best attributes, while surreal synth sounds are played in the background. “Malaysia” the E.P’s second track, and first full-length song to kick start this collection of unique material is a throwback to early Goldfrapp, yet at the same time Becky and the Birds put a current production spin on the twisted yet relaxing sounds that we overplayed on Goldfrapp’s debut album “Felt Mountain,” on Becky’s slightly robotic, and whistle-like vocal performance, over very stripped back music.

Before the E.P’s standout track “Die While You Love Me,” begins, Track 3 gives us a clue on the concept of this song in the form of an interlude, another spoken-word piece of poetry about the wanting to “die in love,” in other words…”the longing of love.” “Die While You Love Me,” a song where Nelly Furtado meets Sade, holds all the musical elements you need to lay your head back and relax, with its’ mid-tempo drum programming which you could easily believe was produced by either Air or Zero 7, while her voice creates a blissful, meditative environment around you. Track 5 “Concept Store,” showcases her higher register that ROUGH ONLINE adore listening to, with a typical Slow Jam-esque tone, as she sings the lyrics “welcome to the Concept Store” over an Organ or Wurlitzer Electric Piano providing the deep bass line.

“Holding On” opens with a child-like vocal sample that forms the rhythm of the song until a tinny snare kicks in to keep tempo, and then of course Becky’s dry, delicate voice sings away calmly, leading up to the chorus where a whirlwind of a Jazz Kit containing enough symbols and percussion to bring about the fresh air the song needed to put the listener into a trance, along with its’ bright keyboards, kicks in over her angelic voice singing “I’ll keep holding on.” The E.P comes to a close with a vocal performance reminiscent of a less sinister version of Portishead’s Beth Gibbons on the song “My Man,” ending Becky’s debut on the sombre note it needed, to summarise the bittersweet story we have been captivated by. The foundation of this music artist’s work is spoken word art, and follows this through with specific, well-thought-up vocal tones to cleverly and emotionally deliver what her stories represent. With the likes of Lily Allen’s recent ethereal sound on her new album “No Shame,” it seems that there is a new wave of this type of music coming back into the Indie scene, including Becky and the Birds’ debut E.P which ROUGH ONLINE highly recommend. Give it a listen to.