"Anthems of collective grief". That's the only phrase I could think of after playing Birds In Row's "Gris Klein", for the first time. The French trio unveiled their new album, their first on Cult Of Luna's Red Creek Recordings, on October 14th 2022, merely four years after the critically acclaimed "We Already Lost The World". If there's one thing we know from Birds In Row's discography over the past decade, is that they don't settle; they have an intrinsic urge to move forward and navigate new waters. This is the case with "Gris Klein", their longest release time-wise and song-wise to date.
Birds In Row has always had a gift of relatability to their sound; whether it was the lyrics that drew a landscape of melancholy, anger, social commentary, or the music that never failed to convey strong emotions that can at times feel like a warm hug when you need it the most, their sound has grown to become important to different people for different reasons. One thing's certain though, nobody ever listened to this band during an endorphin overflow. "Gris Klein" is no exception in the end, only the means and the approach have been slightly altered. The core of this album, in typical BIR fashion, is ridden with an abundance of influences in different genres, screamo, post hardcore, post rock, you name it. The structure of this melting pot of rawness however appears renewed, picking up from where "We Already Lost the World" left off.
The key element is once again the intensity of the compositions, and it's undeniable that an album crafted during the pandemic would carry such a dynamic. "Water Wings" is a great opener, immediately capturing the listener's attention as it layers hardcore elements over a post body, while the throaty vocals are oozing of anguish. Moving on, "Daltonians" and "Confettis" fall a little closer to my personal taste and the kind of noise that hits soft spots and revs me up; seamless tempo changes, poignant melodies and incisive vocal delivery. Now, I've got to admit that "Noah", as intriguing as it may be, even as a single it didn't really do the trick for me, contrary to "Cathedrals" and "Nympheas" which are probably my favorites on the record. From the vigorous drumwork to the scathing vocals to the guitar dynamics, they tick all my boxes -plus the gritty vocal melody on the latter which adds extra points of awesomeness.
Moreover, "Grisaille" continues in the path the previous songs have paved, and change of tempo halfway through the song gets me every time. The cleaner vocals and gradual build-up back to the character of the song are immaculate, while "Trompe L'Oeil" lives up to its name. It casts an illusory shadow over the introduction, which in no way foreshadows the thunderous barrage that's about to be unleashed as the song progresses. "Rodin" flirts with a more electronic sound which I'm not the biggest fan of and it's not unusual for me to skip the song altogether. Reaching the end, "Winter, Yet" reverts to the wonderfully noisy unpredictability the album has introduced thus far, also adapting a clean singing once more. Finally, "Secession" closes the album in a fitting way, summing up the essence of "Gris Klein" -and maybe coyly winking at their local screamo scene from a decade ago.
Overall, "Gris Klein" is a zeitgeist of an album, conceived, crafted and delivered in inimical times, and whose message calls for unity, love and respecting others. Birds In Row dare to expand their wingspread without sacrificing the quality of their sound nor their values, in their most ambitious work to date.
8.5/10
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