Birds in Row – Gris Klein (Review)

The year 2020 got us all. No one could flee from it. Everyone has his or her story of how they coped with the first lockdown. Some learned how to bake banana bread, others suffered through home schooling and some turned to art. Time was something that was suddenly at hand.

But the flip side of the coin was that too much free time can drive you insane. Not leaving your home can slowly but surely turn your home into a prison. Left on your own devices sharpens and shifts your focus. Gris Klein was created during that time in 2020.

Roughly four years after the awesome We Already Lost the World, Birds in Row are back with their creative outcome of the lockdown.”Water Wings” softly lures you in with its trickling guitars until it is full-on Punk / Post-Hardcore as you know it and love it. The following “Daltonians“, “Confettis” and later “Cathedrals” put Birds in Row closer to Touché Amoré than they ever were and that is great news.

What really makes this album special for me are the two long tracks “Noah” and “Trompe l’oeil“. Birds in Row had longer tracks in their career before, “Lovers Have Their Say” is the prime example, but with those two, Birds in Row are the most versatile as they have been so far. “Noah” is a growing and ebbing bitter goodbye to well-meant “good” advice while “Trompe l’oeil” is a brutally honest view on the feeling of social isolation while being among people, put into a song that starts as a Folk-song but crashes into a cacophony of screams and guitars.

Gris Klein is the stylistic evolution of We Already Lost the World. Gris Klein is the most focused release of Birds in Row so far. They rely on their strengths and build upon them. The aforementioned “Cathedrals” or “Daltonians” are among the best melodies the band has written so far and with the Corona-restrictions seemingly declining, Gris Klein will surely be treat to hear live.