Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - I Can Hear the Birds E.P Review
The inherently atmospheric nature of this music is definitely an interesting turn for Higginbottom, as his last singles could be described as dance or disco music.
It’s been a hell of a long time since Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs released a proper project. Over the past few years he has released some really incredible singles — like ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ (which if you haven’t heard you should go check out!). Now, Orlando Higginbottom is back with a new EP: ’I Can Hear the Birds’. This is a soundscape project built around the sounds of birds from around the world. The inherently atmospheric nature of this music is definitely an interesting turn for Higginbottom, as his last singles could be described as dance or disco music. Discussing the project’s origins, TEED wrote “On March 22 a friend sent me a recording of the birds that were keeping her awake in the Canary Islands. It was early in this story and anxiety was high, so I took the recording and made some music to it as a present to send back, a hug, and an exercise to take my mind off the obvious”.
‘Brockley’ is the EP’s first track, predictably featuring birdsong encompassed by deeply atmospheric piano and vibrating bass. As the track progresses the chords increase in dissonance and emotion. You can feel a sense of pain in Higginbottom’s composition. Fortunately, the track ends in a more positive light with its sweeping synths and choir VFX. ‘Los Angeles’ definitely has a moodier vibe than the first track, with music that moves in a way with a similarity to exhalation and inhalation that brings a deeply meditative quality. This is the shortest track on the record and fittingly may be the sweetest.
‘Bundeena’ opens with pulsating synths that pan left to right and brings a more characteristically Higginbottom dance feel to it immediately, especially when the sequenced synth sections start blurring in. Something about this track reminds me of those emotive and melodic chord progressions that Daft Punk utilise so well in their music. This track’s use of bird sounds is really unique, with a transformative quality that makes them sound more like lasers than birds. ‘Islas Canarias’ is the last track on the EP and by far the dreamiest, with its square synth tones and deep pads. The song is hypnotic. There is an undeniable warmth on this track akin to the three preceding tracks.
This is a really enjoyable EP from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. While not what most fans will have wanted, which is a full-length follow up to his first album, this EP contains some really beautiful music and is really great to escape from the hectic world we currently live in, which was clearly the goal of the project for the artist and for the listener.
