Birds of Tokyo have landed their fifth consecutive ARIA top ten album and second career number one. Human Design pipped the likes of Dua Lipa and The Weeknd for top spot in this week’s chart.
Human Design came out on April 24 and it’s Birds’ first album since 2016’s Brace. The new album sees the Perth band make a considerable stylistic shift away from the dark alt-rock of Brace. Human Design boasts acoustic instrumentation, choir vocals and string parts, while frontman Ian Kenny offers up a number of anthemic melodies.
The tonal brightness juxtaposes with the album subject matter, however, as Kenny explores the downfall of his marriage. Listeners were introduced to the record’s thematic orientation with the single, ‘Unbreakable’, which came out in late 2018. Featuring lines such “Step out of the dark into better light / And carry your scars like a badge of pride,” it’s one of a handful of tracks that vouches for the sagacity of the “what doesn’t kill you…” precept.
Watch: Birds of Tokyo – Unbreakable
Three more singles followed ‘Unbreakable’ in the lead up to Human Design, with ‘Good Lord’ offering the most blatant examination of Kenny’s broken relationship. The singer’s heartbreak is emphasised in lyrics like, “Thought you’d be mother to my kid / But it all changed when I saw you with someone else.”
“That song has connected with people on a much larger level than we thought,” Kenny told Rolling Stone. “I think there’s a lot of people out there who are living with that song, having been through the same thing that I went through.”
Watch: Birds of Tokyo – Good Lord
Human Design‘s #1 chart debut continues what’s already been a strong year for Australian artists. 5 Seconds of Summer, Tame Impala and Violent Soho have all hit top spot on the ARIA albums chart in 2020, while Chillinit’s The Octagon made it to number two.
Birds of Tokyo
Symphonic Tour 2021
Thursday, January 14
Perth Concert Hall, WA
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Friday, January 15
Perth Concert Hall, WA
Saturday, January 16
Perth Concert Hall, WA
Friday, January 22
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall, VIC
Saturday, January 23
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall, VIC
Thursday, February 4
Sydney Town Hall, NSW
Friday, February 5
Sydney Town Hall, NSW
Saturday, February 6
Sydney Coliseum Theatre, West HQ, NSW
Friday, February 12
QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday, February 13
QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Full details at birdsoftokyo.com
