Back in December we wrote about ‘Child of Violence’ by Siri Undlin’s Humbird, describing how the Minneapolis artist channelled “the politically charged folk rock of yesteryear” with a song which refused to “treat acts of violence within the US as tragedies or aberrations, but rather a cornerstone of the entire national project.” The song was taken from Right On, an album coming later this spring on Nettwerk which sees Humbird develop this interrogative style further, using Americana as a vehicle into the heart of the US to ask questions of both its past and future.
Right On sees Undlin joined by Pete Quirsfeld (drums), Pat Keen (bass, organ, percussion, background vocals, synth) and Shane Leonard (percussion, mandolin, background vocals, keys), who together create a folk rock sound that’s undeniably richer that previous Humbird releases. The result is what the label call “the project’s most electric, playful, mettled record yet,” but longtime fans need not worry, the signature Humbird idiosyncrasies and experimentalism remain. “Even so, Right On incorporates friendly winks to the more whimsical, soundscape-y improvisations that audiences have come to expect from a Humbird performance,” Nettwerk continue. “Electrified, gritty, Midwest Americana with a little magic fairy dust thrown in.”
Nowhere is this more apparent than on closer and latest single ‘Song For The Seeds’. The song (rather aptly) grows into its full band arrangement, building from hushed and humble beginnings into a full-bodied country pop song. As the title suggests, it’s inspired by plants and the near-magical transformation from seed to shoot to sapling, finding hope and joy in their resilience, their patience and the hopeful joy of watching them grow. “‘Song For The Seeds’ is a song that could have been hours long,” Undlin tells Under the Radar. “It’s an unending topic of consideration: plants and all they teach us. I realize this sounds fairly hippy-dippy, but I don’t really care and I don’t think the plants do either. It’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to a sort of mantra within a Humbird song yet and I stand by it.””
