Birdstone – IV
Release Date: 16th October 2026
Label: Harpyes Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Blues Rock
FFO: Mars Red Sky, TriggerFinger, Monkey3 l, King Khan & The Shrines.
Review By: Paul Franklin
There’s a fine line between artistic ambition and self-indulgence, and on IV, Birdstone seem determined to cross it at every available opportunity. What might have been a compelling collection of songs instead becomes an exercise in patience, with the band seemingly convinced that every idea deserves to be explored, extended and then explored some more. The result is an album that would benefit enormously from a ruthless editor and a willingness to accept that sometimes less really is more.
The biggest problem is the running time. Too many songs hang around long after they’ve made their point, stretching ideas beyond their natural lifespan until whatever impact they initially possessed has all but evaporated. There’s a sense that Birdstone are so absorbed in their own musical world that they’ve forgotten the listener might appreciate a little forward momentum. In truth, most of these tracks could lose half their running time without sacrificing anything particularly essential. In some cases, the resulting songs might actually be considerably better for it.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with taking the scenic route, of course, particularly when the journey offers something interesting along the way. But IV too often feels like being trapped in the passenger seat while the driver insists on taking every possible detour, convinced that another ten minutes of meandering will somehow make the destination more rewarding. It doesn’t. Extended passages and repeated ideas need to justify their existence, and simply giving a song more room to breathe isn’t enough when it’s already gasping for inspiration.
The frustrating thing is that Birdstone occasionally give the impression they have something worthwhile to say. There are flashes of promise buried beneath the excess, moments when the material begins to find its feet before seemingly deciding that standing still for another five minutes would be a more interesting proposition. A tighter arrangement, a sharper sense of dynamics and a willingness to trim the fat could have transformed much of this material into something considerably more engaging.
Instead, the band’s apparent determination to indulge every musical whim comes at the expense of cohesion and impact. There’s a difference between allowing a composition to develop naturally and refusing to let it go, and IV repeatedly demonstrates the latter. Editing isn’t the enemy of artistic expression; sometimes it’s precisely what allows the best ideas to shine through.
Ultimately, IV is an album that mistakes excess for substance and duration for depth. Birdstone may be thoroughly invested in what they’re doing, but that enthusiasm doesn’t automatically translate into an engaging listening experience. A little discipline, a sharper pair of scissors and a willingness to leave something on the cutting-room floor would have served them well.
There’s a decent album buried somewhere in IV, but at this length, finding it feels like an unnecessarily exhausting undertaking.
(2.5 / 5)
