Label: Alcopop! Records
Released: 25th February 2022
Boisterous, considered and loud – it’s all there on ‘WE’, the debut album from Tunbridge Wells’ Lady Bird.
‘Guided Hesitation’ is a bold and triumphant mission statement from the trio, opening the album with unsettling gusto. It sets the tone for the eleven-track packed record, that for the most part melds punk with hardcore and spoken word vocals. ‘WE’ will put you in a ferocious head spin, then a head lock shortly after, ordering you to listen.
Lady Bird’s abrasiveness works in their favour, but can feel a little grating when not supercharged as on ‘Take Care’ and ‘Individualism’. ‘Say A Lil Something’ is a fusion of the bad and the good, a peculiar The Streets-meets-Oasis finale that seems like part-satirical take on a stadium-sized rock belter.
It’s clear to see what Lady Bird are trying to achieve on their debut – the philosophy and sociology in the lyrical matter are delivered with sincere conviction – but in striving for it all, some pieces get lost in the noise.