Birds In Row
You, Me & The Violence

The Birds in Row present themselves like this. They are three guys from Laval, and aside from their French nationality and a shared passion for design, not much is known about them. They call themselves B., T. & D., with no precise identity, aiming to be a single entity, a collective. They started playing in the local underground scene, released a couple of EPs between 2009-2010, “Rise of the Phoenix”, “Cottbus”, and then went on tour as if there were no tomorrow, where they were fortuitously noticed by Jeremy Bolm [Touché Amoré], who connected them with Deathwish. Their sound thus reached the ears of Jacob Bannon, who did not hesitate for a second to sign them, proving himself insightful not only as a musician but also in his role as a label owner.

“You, Me & The Violence” is the result of this artistic collaboration. It is a work that attacks from the first moment and overwhelms like a shock wave filled with rage and melancholy. A sound that turns out to be granite-like and at the antipodes of banality. The path that emerges over time is dominated by abrasive riffs, distortions, tempo changes, melodic openings, and sonic crescendos that explode all the despair evident from B.'s annihilating screaming. Suffering not too concealed in lyrics full of references to a disenchanted society dotted with betrayals, daily prisons, feelings slowly fading out, and where there seems to be no room to break free from the constraints of a grim reality. A lyrical dimension that fits well with the restlessness of the proposed soundscapes.

Hardcore is thus dissected, recomposed, and assembled with a great dose of versatility that gives the record personality and a precise point of view, that of the Birds In Row. Intimate moments and chaotic assaults continuously chase each other, without one prevailing over the other, but rather remaining in perfect balance to surprise the listener. By the end of the 36 minutes, there remains the sensation that the digressions built like a dense web over a hardcore, old-school screamo skeleton are the winning card of this “You, Me & The Violence”. But B., T. & D. before taking their leave want to gift us one last gem: “Lovers Have Their Say”, a twelve-minute suite where they venture into post territories and slowly drag themselves towards small noise hints. Just to clarify, as if there were any need, that being changeable is not a problem, indeed, it is a starting point to work further on for a promising future.