Wrongbird: “Sons of the Desert”

Once you get locked into a flock, life without group benefits sounds like a nightmare. And if you want to break away to steer your own migrations, you might just sacrifice a chunk of your following in the process. Not only that, there’s always the risk of ending up far from where you wanted.

Yet it sure seems like singer-songwriter Eric Baker (formerly of Tomar & the FCs and currently behind keys for Shinyribs) has found the right fit with Wrongbird, which he founded as a solo project more than half a decade back. Since Baker’s early 2018 debut Epitome of the Opposite, Wrongbird’s wings have spread into a core duo with producer-guitarist Michael Blake and eventually the quartet we know today. Wrongbird’s made all the right choices when it comes to what they weave into the nest: strings, horns, backup singers, and anything worth foraging from the ’60s-’70s golden age of art pop. But following their late 2018 EP Who Is Wrongbird?, the band went awfully quiet…up until their big return in 2023 with April’s “Mr. April” and November’s “Western Hero”, the latter of which has already become their most streamed single on Spotify.

Clearly Wrongbird’s not interested in letting their still-limited discography dry up, and as such, they’re leading us to an oasis of a new record at some point in 2024. And while there’s no official release date for that sophomore album as of yet, Wrongbird does have a single release show 6:30PM next Wednesday at Vinyl Beauty Bar with Allisen & Wy plus Lady Chops & the Goddamn Jam. And that latest lead single from LP feels like finally reaching a distant mirage, that instead of evaporating upon arrival, gleefully transforms into a full-blown Bourbon Street affair. Because by barreling together Three Stooges dialogue samples, speakeasy-approved horns, tipsy stride piano, trippy guitar, tumbling drums, and swaggering vocals, “Sons of the Desert” effortlessly encapsulates a prohibition-era sense of mischievousness. Just don’t get yourselves into too much trouble with this one, boys…

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