New World Artists

Little Birdy

Little Birdy's latest album release - 'Confetti' - 2009

Katy Steele – Vocals & Guitar
Simon Leach – Guitar
Scott ‘Barney’ O’Donoghue – Bass
Matt Chequer - Drums

Some album titles need explaining. This isn’t one of them. “Confetti fell out of my mouth, the word just literally came out of nowhere”, reflects Little Birdy’s singer/songwriter/guitarist, 25-year-old Katy Steele. It was a happy accident because the title perfectly captures the ying/yang, bittersweet feelings that inspired this special album.

It’s a collection of classic-sounding tracks that sound like Dusty Springfield has been teleported from her Memphis heyday into modern-day Melbourne…and she’s brought Burt Bacharach and Midlake along for the ride. Written during a rollercoaster year of old endings and new beginnings, it’s no wonder that so many of the songs seem to look into the rearview mirror and out the windscreen all at the same time.

After dabbling in a more keyboard-driven approach on their previous top 5 charting album “Hollywood”, “Confetti” sees Little Birdy returning to the organic sounds which featured on their acclaimed debut “Big Big Love”. However, this time they also introduced a slew of new instruments – brass, strings, even theremin - to create a distinctive piece of work that goes well beyond anything they’ve attempted previously.

With two acclaimed, gold-certified discs already under their wings, the four members of the band chose to produce “Confetti” themselves with the help of Melbourne- based engineer/mixer Steven Schram. The guys and gal all dedicated over 12 months to obsessively honing the tunes and capturing appropriately spirited performances.

If you’ve been paying close attention you’d know that the album’s opening song - “Brother” – was released as a free download a few months back and became the most played track of the month on Triple J during February. The raw-boned track features guest vocals and harmonica from Australian music legend Paul Kelly.

The song is a compelling piece of acoustica inspired by a lifetime with Katy's brother Luke and father Rick. It opens with the unforgettable couplet, “My brother he taught me how to fly. My papa he taught me how to cry”

The actual lead single from “Confetti” is “Summarize”; an up-tempo stomp that’s already a live fave. It will hit the airwaves in March. Also bowing that month is a memorable video directed by the team at Head Pictures who created ARIA award-winning clips for Silverchair and Bernard Fanning. Like the song itself, and the album’s artwork, the video fuses imagery from the Stax & Motown era with some undeniably post-modern hues.

Unlike many albums these days, this is a cohesive body of work that’s intended to be heard from soup to nuts. Each and every song helps tell the story of a bittersweet year of ups and downs, so let’s give Ms. Katy the last word …

“We just want to try and continue to be as honest as we can with our music. We don’t want to be swept away with any trends. We want to make it feel timeless and most of all, we want people to feel something real when they listen. That’s all.”
 

Artist Links

• Myspace:
  http://www.myspace.com/littlebirdy
• Website:
  http://www.littlebirdy.net