The Falling Birds - Native America (Self-Released)

It’s refreshing when at least one member of a New York band is actually from the city, or at least, the state.Stephen Artemis just so happens to be Albany, and along with Dave Burton and Nick Albury, he formed NYC’s The Falling Birds last year. Inevitably, it seems as if the city has lacked focus lately, a subject I’ve touched on before, but it one of the directions its rock scene is growing towards is 90’s grunge and post-punk, a style The Falling Birds wear on their debut EP, Native America.

The opening chant-worthy song “Darling” along with “Dead Man Walking” are the most grunge-worthy songs here, but interestingly, Artemis’ own country roots and influences often show through here more, offering a really interesting slant. “If Time Allows” is almost a straight up Appalachian-romp, but “Arms Out Wide” is the best example of this country-grunge hybrid, combining Western beats and melodies with just the right amount of distortion at just the right time.

The EP ends with what sounds like a solo track, “NY Love Song,” a song about exactly what you expect. There are a million songs that claim to do the same, but this is one of the few that actually seem genuine and honest. Rather than build the city and the state to unrealistic proportions, Artemis sounds disenchanted if still in love and hopeful for its future, and, not to mention, his own upbringing in the state adds a heap of credibility that most never have.

For a short EP, The Falling Birds cast their net far, but never does it fail to bring in a catch. They don’t let themselves fall into one single genre or style and they never stick to a dominant emotion, but explore every possibility within a reasonably sized radius and rarely does it fail. In fact, it doesn’t. For its ambitions, it’s an amazingly concise and formulated record. Native America makes the perfect first statement for a band in a city where everyone is fighting to make their own mark. The EP will be released June 17th.