If you like your hard rock and metal, you really ought to check out Philadelphia act Mothman and the Thunderbirds. Their music explores some unique themes, with Ruby Skies really catching my attention when I first heard it! It’s a colossal sounding tune, mixing melody and a sense of heaviness together perfectly. Find out more about the band below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new single titled Ruby Skies. What can you tell us about the track? It’s got a really expansive sound!
Thank you! Ruby Skies is the first single and first track from our new album Portal Hopper. It sets the tone for the album sonically and thematically. It’s an uplifting song musically, but the lyrics reflect the protagonist’s state of apprehension that kicks off the portal-hopping journey that unfolds later on in the album.
How has the reception to Ruby Skies been so far, and where can it be purchased?
So far pretty great, we gained a few new fans off of that track alone. I think the upbeat cheeriness of the track might’ve thrown off some of the stoner/sludge fans who were into our first album, but if you stick around for the rest of the album there’s still a few tracks in that realm too. The track is available on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.), Bandcamp, and we have a cool lyric video for Ruby Skies on YouTube too.
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
We recently released Fractals and So Long (Portal Hopper) as singles in the lead-up to the album. Both of those have lyric videos on YouTube as well, and can be found on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp.
You also have a new album coming out soon titled Portal Hopper. What can you tell us about the record and when will it be released?
Portal Hopper was released on July 12th. It’s a concept album we’ve been describing as ‘dream metal’ – an eclectic mix of adventurous prog, thrilling hard rock, and dreamy psychedelia.
I hear the record has a concept behind it. Was that the intention when you first started writing for it?
I wanted to explore escapism and the eventual escape from escapism, but somehow keep that in the general cryptid/oddity theme of the band. For some of the more ‘alien’ cryptids like Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, there’s a theory that they travel through portals to get to Earth, since their biology doesn’t map to anything from our world. The general story of this album is that the protagonist uses those portals to travel to different worlds to escape a dreary life on earth, but through the journey they truly realise and come to appreciate how much they’ve left behind in life on earth.
Your music has a prog rock sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
I’ve always been a rock guy and a fan of weird music, and I think that’s reflected in the fact that my music teeters between rock and metal, while also folding in other elements like shoegaze, folk, and psychedelic music. While Devin Townsend and Mastodon are two of my biggest influences, I was also listening to a ton of The Armed, Björk, and Death Grips while I was writing this album. All of my music has been influenced by Torche’s songwriting philosophy too, a band that I think deserves much more fame considering how unique yet catchy their music is.
Lately I’ve been going back to classic rock favorites like The Allman Brothers, Genesis, and Supertramp, while also digging back into some late 80s/mid 90s alt rock like Ride, Hum, The Stone Roses, and Primal Scream. I still need to catch up on some 2024 new releases too.
You’re based in Philadelphia. What is the local music scene like in your part of the world?
Philly is a great place for music because there’s always something fascinating going on in both the underground and mainstream. We’ve got great shoegaze, metal, and hardcore scenes, as well as some bigger acts like Baroness that are tearing it up. Lots of fun venues in Philly too, I feel very lucky that I get to see all of my favorite headliners and underground acts come through as a big pit stop on their tours.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
Now that the album’s out I’m mainly focusing on writing and recording the third album. I’ve got maybe half the album written and recorded instrumentally. I always like to release cover songs in between main releases, and I’ve got a few ideas cooking up for the next set of covers too.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Not yet, but I would love to play over there eventually! We’re still in the early stages of getting a live band together, I’m excited for it all to come together.
Any last words for the fans?
Go stream Portal Hopper! It’s out everywhere digitally and we have CDs for sale on Bandcamp. Thanks to everyone who’s been following me on this journey, I can’t wait to show you what’s next!