Kingdom of Birds

Consisting of Ása Berezny (Guitar/Vox), Annabel Barbon-Mcguire (Bass) and Beatrice Richard (Drums), Kingdom of Birds is an institution of the Toronto music scene. Known for live shows that are notoriously kinetic and dramatic (not to mention extremely fun), the band’s ability to feed off of energy from each other to hypnotize an audience borders on vampiric. Playing over 100 shows, they have opened for the likes of Deerhoof, Maruja, Cumgirl8, and Partner. Their songs are full of dirty, ear-worming riffs and versatile vocal performances ranging from under-breath mutters to full tilt howls. 

Born out of an elementary school band club in the early 2010s, Kingdom of Birds has acted as Berezny’s songwriting vehicle for more than a decade. They’ve played nearly every venue in the city (including a few that no longer exist), and have shared the stage with countless bands (also including some that no longer exist). The band’s long lifespan makes them the most experienced and practiced band of their contemporaries by a long shot, and their longevity has also placed them in a unique position as peers of Toronto bands from both the previous decade and the present one, a dynamic which is audible in the progression of their recordings.

While Kingdom of Birds has always been a loud outfit, earlier on in the band’s lifespan their music was a little closer to the 2010s Toronto indie sound. While the COVID 19 pandemic complicated the process of releasing music and halted any live performances, it also provided somewhat of a blank slate for the band. As they moved out of lockdown and into the new decade, they underwent a definite shift away from indie status into something dirtier. Post-Covid, Kingdom of Birds quickly got back to work and re-established themselves as a fully fledged, ass-kicking, post-punk outfit. 

After spending a spell in Montreal writing bedroom demos, Berezny returned to Toronto to record the band’s latest and greatest LP, Vermin. An album partially characterized by its faithfulness to the band’s live sound due to a lack of overdubs and studio trickery, Vermin sees Kingdom of Birds wielding three-piece power with extreme precision. Throughout the record all elements of the band are starkly audible: Grimy and crunchy bass, acidic guitar, and sharp, precise drumming fit together like puzzle pieces and create a powerfully coherent sonic image full of energy and life. Berezny’s voice floats above the songs, swinging between vulnerable and in-your-face, singing about day-to-day emotions through a dramatic and darkly cartoonish lens. 

Vermin also shows off the band’s tonal versatility: While songs like Kenny or Sour Smile show a definite appetite for destruction, the record also features ultra-distorted, moody, and sludgy tracks like Killer Bee which show the band’s softer side. Front to back Vermin is crunchy and concise, oozing with love and spite, often mixed together to the point where it’s hard to tell which is which.

- Max Moller