QR Music Review: Jealous of the Birds - The Moths of What I Want Will Eat Me In My Sleep
Two years after the release of her 2016 debut LP Parma Violets, Belfast's Naomi Hamilton (aka Jealous of the Birds) returns with a 5-track EP which features one new track and four updated versions of songs from her blistering first LP.
The new track in question, 'Plastic Skeletons', acts as a travel diary for Hamilton's first trip to the US - where she has now performed at SXSW festival twice - with a jangly sing-song melody that captivates the listener. Bouncing between various scenes plucked from Hamilton's journals from the time - from palm trees to dandelion wine to skinny jeans to fire ants - Hamilton instils a sense of urgency reminiscent of a traveller trying to take in as much of a country as they can all at once. This is equally translated through the psychedelic feel of the song; with guitars pushing the song along with subtle interjections in the verses, before bursting into rocking flames with each chorus. 'Plastic Skeletons' is a welcome addition to Hamilton's discography, a song that is equally as thrilling when heard live as it is when listened to in private.
Continuing the EP are four tracks from 'Parma Violets' that have been re-recorded and slightly updated. The production on such tracks sounds a little brighter and lighter than on the previous LP, an album described by Hamilton as "super DIY." The first of these tracks on the EP is 'Miss Misanthrope', a song that emphasises a sense of calmness; with Hamilton's low vocals resonating deeply to recognise that comparisons with others is inherent in humanity but not defining. Lyrics talk of making French toast, listening to Walt Whitman poems, and drinking champagne - and this is a track that seems like the perfect accompaniment.
'Trouble in Bohemia' makes use of a guitar hook reminiscent of 1990s/early 2000s indie rock to portray the angst of being a teenager, with lyrics like "don't be polite, be real" emphasising the authenticity a teenager yearns for. This track sounds a lot bigger in this re-recorded form as opposed to its previous release on the debut LP; a brighter mix brings the song to life more effectively.
On 'Tonight I Feel Like Kafka' - a personal favourite Jealous of the Birds song for me - Hamilton makes use of wider instrumentation, with electric piano ringing throughout and complimenting the mournful, sleepy vocals. "It's two in the morning and I want to drink wine", Hamilton muses while the acoustic guitar mixes to produce a track alight with the restlessness of insomnia."It scares me to think that nobody looks at me that way" punches to the root cause of Hamilton's insomnia - a crippling overthinking that renders so many of us sleepless. This track perfectly summarises the feeling of restlessness, it professes accurately a sense of jaded uneasiness.
EP closer 'Russian Doll' brings out a punkier guitar riff that shows an edge to Hamilton's back-catalogue. In her own words, this track uses the image of a Russian doll to "represent all those different layers of ego we contain." Just as 'Tonight I Feel Like Kafka' shows a leap to differing tones through the use of piano, so too does 'Russian Doll' with a livelier feel embodied by a heavier use of overdrive.
All in all, 'The Moths of What I Want Will Eat Me in My Sleep' is a great EP showcasing all the 'best bits' of Jealous of the Birds' discography. However, after a two year wait for new music, it would be amazing to see some new material coming out - but this is a perfect introduction to Hamilton's music that is sure to gain widespread recognition from new audiences. Despite differences in tonality and instrumentation on a track-to-track basis, the common denominator is the constant confidence Hamilton oozes in perfecting poetic lyrics, and delivering them with a voice that can shift from soft silk to gravelly intensity with the flick of a switch.
By Jane Corscadden