Lesser Birds Photo credit: Kayleigh Buffington
Boston-based alternative rock trio Lesser Birds will release their debut full-length album without a tether on January 23, 2026 a restless, guitar-driven record reflecting on disillusionment and discontent in the modern world.
The band traces its roots back to Buffalo, NY, where frontman Derek and bassist Chris began playing together in 2017, first as Bird Ass and later as Subguest. When Derek relocated to Boston in 2019, the project went dormant, only to be revived in 2023 after Chris also made the move east. Drawing on shared nostalgia and a line from Dune, the reformed group adopted the name Lesser Birds. Drummer Mir, the band’s third percussionist, joined in early 2025, rounding out the lineup ahead of the album’s recording.
without a tether is a collection of songs written across different chapters of the band’s life, though most of the material took shape over the past two years. “Domestic Reality” stands as the lone holdover from the Buffalo era, while the rest of the record reflects the band’s present; sharpened by time and renewed momentum.
“It’s always been our dream to put out a full album,” the band says. “There wasn’t a better time to do it. We had the songs, we had the momentum, we just had to make it happen.” That process began with the recording of “August Moon” in February at Kennedy Studios, with the band returning in May to complete the record. The album was recorded and mixed by Steve Aliperta and mastered by Max Gowan in Asheville, NC.
Across its runtime, without a tether moves restlessly between fracture and reflection. It opens with the blurred uncertainty of “The Veil,” then tightens into the claustrophobic routines of “Domestic Reality” before foreshadowing our demise and transitioning from introspection to examining our place in the world in “Downfall.” The paired movements of “Feed the Fire” confront the anger and disappointment in the humans who lead us with mounting intensity. From there, “Rael” sifts through the guilt and hopelessness, while “Tripping Hazard” erupts in bitter confrontation. The closing stretch, “Sound of Your Voice,” “August Moon,” and “Buffalo”, retreats into memory and distance, where intimacy, nostalgia, and unresolved longing linger after the noise fades.
Lesser Birds will celebrate the release of without a tether with an album release show on January 31 at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, MA, and plan to remain active throughout Boston and the greater New England area over the coming year.
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