Bird's newest single, "Sunny Days," achieves a wistful, filmic stroll through the melancholy corners of memory. The closing song of her EP, "Heads or Tales," "Sunny Days," envelops the project in a golden hue of memories, reflection, and gorgeously layered instrumentation.
Co-written with Andy Dunlop of the perennially cherished Travis, "Sunny Days" sounds immediately lived-in and also like it always has. The songwriting is intimate and unguarded, weaving a narrative around Bird's first heartbreak, a visceral, sensory recollection of a relationship's final moments. Her voice, at once gentle and full of conviction, carries us into an intimate moment that seems at once private and universally shared. Recorded in Austin, Texas, the song gently edges towards Americana with subtle banjo from award-winning producer Gabriel Rhodes, whose musical legacy is steeped in the legendary blood of Kimmi Rhodes. But this isn't a mere folk ballad, "Sunny Days" glistens with surprising hues. Guitar courtesy of Ed Cosens of Reverend and the Makers provides a steady anchor, and Bird herself chips in a meditative cello solo that aches with contained emotion. It's in the second verse, though, when the song lifts into something quietly unmistakable. This is also due to the subtle and emotive string arrangements of Sally Herbert, who's been the engine behind the sound of London Grammar and Florence and the Machine.
There's a quiet audacity here as well. Mixing Americana and folk with the decided flourish of a tango. Bird doesn't simply navigate genre barriers, she dances over them with elegance and intent. Every note is weighed, every instrument a character in the narrative. With "Sunny Days," Bird offers a parting gift, one last chapter that continues to linger long after it's over, as sunlight lingers on the skin after the storm passes.
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