Introducing: ButcherBird

London quartet ButcherBird offer up a wild and wonderful fusion of hardcore punk, metal and mathcore in a sound that they describe as “lurching, frantic and emotions.”

The band, formed of James ‘Bart’ Barter (vocals) Rob Langtry (guitar), Iain Cooper (bass) and drummer Chaz Tomlinson, who was in our former New Band of the Week Delaire The Liar, have been friends since their late teens. They met at university when there was an amazing music scene for bands in all genres and played together in various guises over the years, with Bart, Rob and Iain recently playing in a band called Scattered Signals. But Rob had been writing music that didn’t quite fit with the sound of that band, so they got Chaz involved and ButcherBird was born.

Describing the sound of the new band, Rob told us: “We like to make songs that feel passionate and driving, but buffet the listener around a little rhythmically. Real emotions aren’t straightforward – they lurch forwards and stop unexpectedly – and we try to reflect that in our music. Sometimes that feels like a frantic pulse pushing you forwards, sometimes slow and introspective. Sometimes both.”

Ourt first taste of this is their debut single Trajan’s Massive Column, which was released last month. It starts with stabbing guitar noises then explodes into intense vocals and wild vocals over lively drums. Cool guitar sounds created by DIY pedal noises take over and a fast-paced riff supports big screamed vocals, before a mass of pure intensity. The pace drops and it builds gradually, dropping into a cool diving riff under a slightly less powerful chorus that ends with big cries of “Trajan” and stabbing guitars to bring the track to a heavy conclusion.

Speaking ahead of the track’s release, Rob told us: “We’re super excited. Musically, Trajan’s Massive Column is a pretty good example of what we’re about as a band – riffs that toss you around a bit, filthy noises, but with a big dose of heart. Lyrically, the song is about toxic masculinity and how enforcing traditional gender roles for men is really unhealthy for everyone. Reject that nonsense and treat all your fellow humans with love. The title was originally a bit of a joke, but we kept it because a big stupid name actually felt quite fitting for the concept.” Check it out in the video below.

Trajan’s Massive Column is the first track from ButcherBird’s debut EP Drought/Deluge, which will be out on 30 May. On what to expect, Rob said: “To many people it’s just six tracks of shouty music with guitars and noises. Come shout along with us.”

The ButcherBird sound has been influenced by a lot of different music, but largely the early 2000s hardcore scene. They’re big into bands like Botch and Converse, but also post-metal bands that build to chunky riffs like Cult Of Luna and Bossk and bands that changed the use of effects in heavy music like The Locust and Car Bomb.

And on what inspires them to write music, Rob explained: “Most songs will start with a feeling or emotion behind them based on what the music invokes, and then Bart will build out lyrics from there.

“The main lyrical theme of the EP is around trying to balance chaos and order: How do you keep pushing to grow and learn through new experiences, but also protect yourself and your mental health at the same time? Those two conflicting demands need to join together to make you as a human being. There are a few other themes too: Trajan’s Massive Column is about toxic masculinity, and Dead Cat Strategy is about political sleight of hand tricks and the need to question what you read, see, and hear from politicians.”

ButcherBird’s debut EP Drought/Deluge will be released on 30 May through Drowning Sea God Records. The band are already working on new songs that they’re “tearing apart and reassembling into new and more beautiful forms.” And in the meantime, they’re always open to playing more gigs to get their music into more people’s faces.

And Rob added: “We’ve had an absolute blast writing and recording this stuff and we hope there are other people out there who feel something in their head when they hear it. Sound and light will come.”

You can follow ButcherBird on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp and Apple Music.