PASCAL BABARE – “NATIVE BIRDS”
A Spill Exclusive Video Premiere
“Native Birds” is short and poppy, like Babare’s earlier work, but sonically lush, with horns, synth and electronic miscellanea weaving together to create a melodic lead worthy of Brian Wilson or Jim O’Rourke. Lyrically, every line folds gently into the next, in an approach figurative, melancholic, generous and wry. The song foreshadows the themes that plot a line through his forthcoming album – family, obligation, and how the natural world haunts our atomized existences in ways both terrible and sublime. This is never an academic exercise for Babare, though; as with the best pop music he never labours the point, but refracts something weird and vital through its familiar form.
The accompanying clip captures innate warmth of “Native Birds” by Babare and his dog frolicking around wildly, sharing a mutual joy in having nothing to do but revel in each other’s company. His nuanced lyricism and infectious choruses are met with the nostalgic love between a man and his doggo, enjoying fruitful romps through abandoned cityscapes and warehouses.
Artist Quote
“For “Native Birds”, I wanted to write a simple summer pop song that condensed some of the main themes of Endless Room — specifically: family, the natural world, and growing up in the suburbs. Musically, it’s kind of an homage to all the late 90s & early 00s indie hits I was listening to in my mid teens, which was pretty much just The Microphones, Jim O’Rourke, and Pavement. I was also listening to a lot of awful chillout compilations, but that I’d rather not mention them here.”
Pascal Babare
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: 2018