BIRDS FLYING BACKWARDS, LOVEBIRDS

Birds Flying Backwards are a London sextet made up of Joe Russell Sanders, India Vingoe, Luke Cave, Alex Chalstrey, Ross Appleton, and Bisque Wemyss. The group first came together around Joe’s songs, then widened through the band’s full involvement. At first, this pushed the band's sound into a psychedelic rock space with elements of jazz. Over the next few years, the band's sound shifted towards folk rock and Americana. Now, following a few EPs, the band has released their debut album, Lovebirds. 

The band has described Lovebirds as an ode to love in many forms, romance, friendship, family, heartbreak, and learning how to live with yourself. You can hear that in the record’s warmth, in the way the harmonies settle into the songs, in the softness of its acoustic textures, and in the unforced feel of the arrangements. Recorded live over four days in early 2025, and mixed at Abby Roads Studios, Lovebirds has an ease to it, with a gentle ache moving beneath the surface. There are traces of early ’70s Laurel Canyon in the band’s writing and arrangements, as well as a broader ’70s roots rock strain. 

Listening to Lovebirds, you can hear hints of The Eagles, Crosby, Nash, and Young, The Byrds, The Band, and even late era Beatles within the songs. It’s all wonderfully familiar, like revisiting a favorite album from years past, and a pure joy to listen to.