“Crying” by Birding is a dreamy manifestation of raw emotion. With its spacey soundscape, elegant acoustic guitar work, and organic vocal timbre, the start of this song just bleeds intimacy. As you approach the end, however, you’re in for a surprise. In a dramatic, extraordinary turn of events, the song explodes with a cloud of electric guitar, strings, harmonies, and subtle drums. It’s the definition of a slow burn, but the payoff is worth the wait. Plus, you get to experience both the calm and the chaos in just one piece.
The intro sports this bright, melodic acoustic guitar riff. Reverb-drenched strings soon join in small, delicate spurts. The lyrics pour out effortlessly: “I hear her yelling in the night / I don’t know if it’s dark or light / Oh dear, it’s all the same.” There’s such a vivid, poignant image here, but it isn’t overly explanatory. It keeps you interested in the incoming details. The singer’s tone is light and breathy, never lacking in warmth but mostly drenched in higher overtones. With the welcome addition of some tight harmonies, the next two-thirds of the song carries on in much the same way.
The last third, on the other hand, is where things get interesting. The lyrics become repetitive and the vocal delivery has this natural strain to it. The instrumentation just envelops the mix with strings and a distorted guitar solo. There’s a palpable urgency, which eventually culminates in a graceful instrumental fade. It just takes your breath away. If you’re ever hungry for some music that really means something, you couldn’t do better than “Crying.”
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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