05 August 2022 - 0 Comments

Oliver Birch’s debut album Burning Daylight has been released today. Written, performed, produced, and mixed solely by Oliver Birch, who is 24, it is available now on all streaming platforms, as well as Bandcamp, and YouTube.

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Burning Daylight is a genre-defying concept album. The tone of the album progresses from its high-energy opener, Lieutenant Bark towards For You (One of Two) at its mid-point, an intimate ballad for the artist’s significant other. The energy of the album then gradually builds again, track by track until For Me (Two of Two), which provides a defiant and hopeful crescendo. The album is designed to loop through this sequencing. It is analogous to how the artist navigates periods of determination and all-consuming desire to make something of himself, while cycling through periods of nihilism, and wondering what the point in it all is. Birch is a methodical auteur, and every aspect of each song is carefully designed to reinforce this concept. There are lyrical nods between songs, certain tracks end with instrumental references to others – suggesting an alternative album sequence, and so on.

Burning Daylight is nine tracks long. The opener, Lieutenant Bark is an art rock odyssey, that conceptually and lyrically sets the tone for the whole album. Burning Daylight, the title track then follows. It is a more withdrawn singer-songwriter piece and reflects on trying to make the most of one’s time whilst experiencing isolation. For You (One of Two) is a love-letter (and apology!) to Birch’s significant other. After the interlude (Inflection), follows a driving, new-wave-esque track in Straw Man Dirge, as Birch considers overwhelming misinformation in the internet age. This is conceptually related to the following track, Docile Healthier, a modernised follow-up of sorts to Radiohead’s Fitter Happier. Next is Sandpaper, a gritty post-rock track about pursuing one’s ambitions relentlessly. It is equally inspired by Perfume Genius as it is Pacific Northwest Emo (and the film Whiplash). To Be Great begins as a Nina Simone style piano-driven track but progresses to a concluding chorus that is reminiscent of Kate Bush’s The Big Sky. The album then ends with For Me (Two of Two), an instrumental piece that revolves around the same progression as its counterpart (For You). It summarises the nature of the album; an opportunity for the artist to pursue his ultimate ambition, to make music know around the world.

Per Oliver Birch, “The album combines many styles; namely, experimental/baroque pop, alternative music, new-wave, and singer-songwriter music. If you are interested in artists such as: Kate Bush, Perfume Genius, HAIM, David Bowie, or Phoebe Bridgers, I would hope that you might enjoy this album. It is the culmination of hundreds of hours of solo work, and is very personal to me, but I write about existential angst, struggling with isolation in recent years, and desperately wanting to 'be something' - I imagine many will find it relatable!”

In anticipation of this album, Birch released a music video for the album’s title track on the 3rd of May 2022. The protagonist is portrayed as an isolated figure who is going through the motions. It is set where the song is (partially) set lyrically. It was created in collaboration with Samuel Goodliffe (of Back of a Truck Productions) and Calum Dewsnap (Editor and Videographer). Watch the video below:

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