Birds in Row

Birds in Row

Birds in Row is a French hardcore punk, post-hardcore and screamo group from Laval, formed in 2009. The band’s music also draws on crust influences, and it is described as closer to traditional screamo than neocrust, with primal crust aggression appearing alongside the urgency and emotional intensity of screamo. The group is active from 2009 to the present and has five members listed: Thomas Dilis, Timothee Duchesne, Bart Hirigoyen, Quentin Sauvé and Joris Saïdani.

Formation and approach

The group starts soon after two members’ previous band splits. They record their first song a week later. Birds in Row choose their name because birds can move freely but often travel together or sit “in a row,” which the band sees as a reflection of people choosing freedom but still following others for comfort. They prefer the spelling without the extra “a” because it sounds better to them. They also sing in English so that their lyrics are understood by as many people as possible.

The band presents itself visually as a single unit rather than as separate individuals. In promotional photographs and music videos, the members’ faces are cropped out, and they are usually identified only by the letters B, D and T. The band says this reflects a focus on songs, ideas and shared viewpoints rather than on individual personalities.

Releases

Birds in Row’s early releases are the EPs Rise of the Phoenix and Cottbus, both issued in 2009 and 2010 through Vitriol Records. In 2011, Deathwish Inc. signs the band. Their debut album You, Me & the Violence follows in 2012, after they begin writing it in late 2011 and finish recording it in January 2012. Vitriol also reissues the early EPs as the compilation Collected in 2012.

In 2015, the group releases the EP Personal War and a split release with We Are in the Country. Their second full-length, We Already Lost The World, arrives in 2018. The band also issues a live session EP recorded for Audiotree, featuring live versions of songs from We Already Lost The World. Birds in Row later become the first non-Cult of Luna-related artist signed to Red Creek, and their third full-length, Gris Klein, is scheduled for release through that label.

Touring and collaborations

Birds in Row tour widely in support of their releases. In 2012, they tour the United States with Loma Prieta, tour Europe with Converge and Rise and Fall in August, and tour the UK in December. In 2013, they tour North America with Touché Amoré, Defeater and Code Orange Kids, and they open for The Chariot on its final tour alongside Glass Cloud and Rebuker.

The band also issues a split with We Are in the Country, adding to a catalogue that moves between hardcore punk, post-hardcore and screamo while keeping crust as an important part of its sound.