Cliffdiver - birdwatching

“On “lord have mercer,” Cliffdiver simultaneously tap into their inner Paramore, their inner disco lover, and their inner revenge fantasist to deliver a danceable banger that calls out abusers and manipulators. Complete with teased high-hats, a syncopated guitar line, and deliciously cutthroat lyrics, “lord have mercer” is a cathartic anthem that reclaims power from those who deeply don’t deserve it” – Consequence

“[lord have mercer] is an empowering call-to-arms about not taking anybody’s shit—whether that’s in a personal relationship or within an ever-problematic, male-dominated music industry…as “Lord Have Mercer” demonstrates, the band still have their sense of humor. In fact, their ability for combining the ridiculous and sublimely moving is stronger than ever.” – FLOOD Magazine

“an empowering call to arms about not taking anybody’s shit…Summery, angst-infused guitar riffs, deep bass riffs, and solid percussion usher in co-lead singer Briana Wright’s rich vocals, creating an alluring, enveloping sonic experience.” – Ones To Watch

The band’s new album sees them building on, and experimenting from, their debut LP, 2022’s Exercise Your Demons. Between massive pop-inspired choruses, disco-adjacent beats, and the classic cliffdiver pop-punk rippers. Birdwatching is a calculated evolution from a band whose seven members bring their own idiosyncratic flavors to the songwriting and arrangements.

The band launched the album with a double single release that saw “dayz gone” & “black lodge breakfast burrito (limited time only),” the latter of which Consequence called one of the best songs of the week writing “angsty, self-dissecting “Black Lodge Breakfast Burrito (Limited Time Only)” finds cliffdiver trying and failing to keep their emotions at bay…the backing instrumentation becomes increasingly noisy and restless, leading to a pair of explosive choruses. As if exhausted from the blowup, the song slowly collects itself, falling back into a groove and allowing subtle horns and reverb-heavy vocal samples to bring the tune to a shockingly resonant conclusion.” These tracks were followed by “going for the garbage plate (feat. Stoph Colasanto of Carpool)” a quintessential cliffdiver tune, with pop-rock hooks, Dony Nickles’ flawlessly smooth sax lines and tasteful synth embellishment as the band’s singers Joey Duffy and Bri Wright lay into their struggles with depressive episodes. cliffdiver don’t shy away from bluntly discussing the messy aspects of mental health struggles, delving into the avoidance and isolation that accompany the darkness of depression. Taking the space to experiment was an integral part of cliffdiver’s recording, and “lord have mercer” is the pop-disco-punk hybrid that comes out of that. The track acts as a rallying cry against abusers in, and the male-dominated, music industry.

cliffdiver’s album title is not only a hobby for many of the members, but signals a spiritual overhaul rippling through the band. Just a few months into birdwatching’s gestation, the whole band went through a horrific experience together. While on tour, a freak accident led to a truck chain link flying into their van and nearly killing bassist Tyler Rogers. While Rogers made a miraculous recovery, the brush with morality stuck with all of them. “Being that close to death will change anybody,” Ehler says, who actually picked up his birdwatching habit in direct response to the van accident. “Making it known how real it is. It made me stop caring as much about things like being online, partying, etc. I’ve slowed down on so much stuff.”

By Duffy’s estimation, Cliffdiver have learned to approach these new songs with a different perspective. No longer simply introspective, the songs on birdwatching are a dizzying array of references, of moments big and small, old wounds alongside brand new awakenings. Lead single “Dayz Gone” is an anthemic banger, Wright howling about the banalities of tour life. “Black Lodge Breakfast Burrito (Limited Time Only)” is another cheeky title for a song processing the more insidious ways mental health issues creep on you. “I wanted to stop talking about what’s wrong with us,” Wright explains. “I wanted to find out what happens after you’ve done all your introspection and kicked some addictions. A yearning to move past your shit. A yearning to feel good enough for other people.” Sometimes that takes the form of Duffy and Wright calling themselves and their own behaviors out.

Cliffdiver’s birdwatching isn’t the sound of everything getting better. It’s a real life take: Things get better, but they also get worse again, and better again, and worse again, and nobody will ever have it all figured out. In each snapshot, Cliffdiver offers a companion for those ups and downs.

“We can make changes for the better so it doesn’t hurt as bad as it used to,” Duffy concludes. “Once we realize we’re not the only ones that feel this way, you can say: Maybe the system is fucked, and maybe we’re all fucked — but we’re not alone.”

cliffdiver’s birdwatching was recorded with producer Brett Romnes (Hot Mulligan, Mom Jeans, Free Throw, and many others) at Barber Shop Studios in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey and will be out September 20th on SideOneDummy. The band is about to head on tour with Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Ben Quad, and Heart To Gold while they will be playing a hometown release show at Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom on December 27th. See the tour dates HERE and contact us with any requests!