Stream: The Mynabirds, ‘Cocoon’

Kevin Bronson on June 30th, 2017

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Laura Burhenn calls her latest body of work as the Mynabirds “emotional journalism” — an apt description of the itemization of the despair, rage and passion felt by many in light of the shifts in the political and social landscape in the past two years. “What is happening to us?” she asks in the new single “Cocoon,” which could be interpreted as a conversation between lovers but is, in fact, a dart tossed in the direction of anyone who retreats into his own world to avoid the headlines.

It’s the first song from her forthcoming album “Be Here Now” (due Aug. 25 via Saddle Creek), which is being released as a series of three EPs (the first is out today). The album’s nine songs were written and recorded with producer Patrick Damphier in his Nashville studio over two weeks in January after the inauguration and the Women’s March.

Burhenn was reacting viscerally to the reactions she saw in others. “Some people were outraged and they were talking about it all the time and talking about, ‘Well, what should we do? How do we resist? How do we fight back?’ and some people just wanted to tune out,” she told Billboard, where the single premiered. “They wanted to go away from the news and just be alone with people they loved where they felt safe because it was overwhelming to them.”

Whatever the topical matter, the Mynabirds’ indie-pop remains an inviting beast. Here, an invitation to think.

||| Stream: “Cocoon”