Birds Flying Backwards on their debut EP, creative influences, and what’s next.

We’re sitting down with Birds Flying Backwards, a cosmic force of ethereal psych folk. With their debut EP Surrender to The Void now out, we’re diving into their creative process, the inspirations behind their music, and what makes their sound so unique. Whether you’ve been a fan from the beginning or are just discovering them, there’s plenty to explore. Let’s take a closer look at what makes Birds Flying Backwards tick.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

Hello everyone! We’re Birds Flying Backwards! Made up of best friends Joe, India, Luke, Alex, Ross and Bisque. Our music could best be described as ‘psych-rock’, ‘folk-rock’ or just ‘rock’, depending on what you listen to! Our upcoming EP ‘Surrender to The Void’ incorporates elements of jazz too. People who have seen us live will know that we incorporate quite a few different influences into our sound.

Your debut EP Surrender to The Void is set to release on September 6th. Can you tell us about the journey of creating this EP and what inspired its cosmic themes?

Yes indeed! The songs for the EP were written by myself (Joe) a while ago and began life as a solo project. However, the songs really came into their own when played with the rest of the band and so we decided to record them all together.

For this record, the music and the words kind of came hand in hand and were a sort of self-perpetuating cycle wherein the music gave rise to this mood from which the words seemed to flow quite naturally, and from there that informed the tone of the rest of the songs on the EP. At the time I was listening to stuff like Daniel Romano’s ‘Finally Free’, and some Indian classical music, which both inspired the EP, and also a book called ‘The Tao of Pooh’ which explains some of the fundamentals of Taoism through the lens of Winnie the Pooh, and this also influenced the lyrics in some way.

The EP opens with the ethereal Murmurations. What was the inspiration behind this track, and how does it set the tone for the rest of the EP?

Yeah, so the song ‘Murmurations’ initially came about as something that we would play live to introduce this suite of songs (Who Are We? & Surrenders I & II). In Indian classical music there is something called an Alap which is a section of music at the beginning that introduces the listener to the mode being played in, and the tone of the song in general, and that was what we were trying to do in Murmurations. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the suite. When it came to recording the EP, we recorded the whole thing live like we would do at a show and so it seemed natural to make a song of its own. Also, we were listening to stuff like Pharoah Sanders where they have these really cool swells at the beginnings of the songs and it’s such a powerful way to open, so we wanted to do something like that.

In Who Are We? you explore themes of transcendence and self-discovery. How do these themes resonate with you personally, and what message do you hope listeners take away from this song?

This is a good question. I wish I could say that I was particularly transcended or self-actualised, but the song ‘Who Are We?’, really is a question. Who am I? Who am I meant to be? Help!

The title track Surrender to The Void is described as frenetic and high-octane. What was the creative process behind this song, and how did you approach its intense energy?

Haha, again this is a good question. I don’t know how ‘Surrender’ became so upbeat. I wrote it on an acoustic guitar lying down in my bed. As with the others, this song really developed when we started playing it as a band, it turned into this kind of epic psych rocker. 

Surrender to The Void II draws inspiration from modal jazz artists like Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. How did you incorporate these influences into your music, and what role does improvisation play in your sound?

I think at some point, the concept of bringing these two types of music together started to feel like a no-brainer to us. Originally these songs didn’t have any kind of jazz influence, but they were all built around this droning sitar note. Alex, our keyboard player, is incredibly well schooled in jazz piano and together we had been listening to a lot of ‘cosmic’ or ‘spiritual’ jazz, like Alice Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and people like that, who are also often playing over a drone. So, we began to kind of bridge the gap between these two genres when we played them together. Psych-rock and spiritual jazz. And then you add in the fact that our songs already had these kinds of ‘cosmic’ themes, much like a lot of these spiritual jazz artists do, so the whole thing just worked well together, and it went from there. 

The EP features striking artwork created by co-lead singer India Vingoe. How does the visual art complement the music, and what was the process like in designing the artwork?

I love the artwork; I think it suits the music perfectly. I’ve even got it up on my wall in my bedroom! India is a fantastic painter and artist. The artwork for the EP started life as a painting by India from before we even started the band actually, and I turned it into a collage. Coincidentally, before we even started the band India painted a lot of birds haha.

With the EP release party at Two Palms in Hackney, what can fans expect from the event, and how are you planning to celebrate the release of Surrender to The Void?

We’ve been working very hard on the release party. Together with Paulina (Speed of Sound), we’ve expertly curated an incredible selection of artists. We’ve got Vincent Davies and Tendertwin opening the night.  We’re going to have an analogue psychedelic-light show by Whyte Light Visuals going on. We’ve got DJ sets late into the night from The Hanging Stars and Janie Jones. Plus it’ll be our first ever headline show so you’re get to hear all the hits! What more could you want?

What do you love right now?

Sleeping, looking at reels on my phone, swearing, scratch cards.

What do you hate right now?

Brat summer.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

Stadium Arcadium by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When it came out I was 9 and I think that was the perfect age to hear it.  There’s just so many good songs. We listened to it all the way through when we walked the Camino de Santiago earlier this year and it was a great moment.  I think pitchfork rated it like 4/10 and that was when I knew they weren’t a serious music magazine. 

Looking ahead, what are your plans after the release of the EP? Are there any new projects or directions you’re excited to explore in the near future?

After the EP releases, I think we’ll see where the wind takes us for a bit. See how the reception is. Play some shows and stuff. We’ll also focus on releasing some new Doublecream material, which is the other band we’re all in. After that, we’ve started working on the next Birds Flying Backwards stuff already. I won’t say too much now but I think we’ll do something quite different next!