let her go

Birdie was formed in the mid-nineties by Paul Kelly and Debsey Wykes who met soon after stints playing back-up on tour for Saint Etienne. (previously Dykes had been vocalist for influential, indiepop predecessors Dolly Mixture). in 1998 the pair recorded their debut album, Some Dusty, but it would take two years before the album graced u.s. shores. the groups pop, drawing from pop divas of the past such as Dusty Springfield as well as an unusual blend of folk-rock a'la Love and the loungish pop of Saint Etienne, found a few fans in the states including Summershine who released a seven inch thru Sup Pop in 1997 and the founders of Kindercore records who would release the debut album. while the duos nuanced pop suited the label and it's stable of acts drawing upon the 60s pop scene themselves, it surprisingly didn't take. as a result their second and final album, Triple Echo was never released in the u.s. thusly securing that many missed out on a group worth a revisit. the following is Birdie's second uk released single, which i picked up on a visit to new york because...well, i liked the artwork.

Birdie "Let Her Go"