B.Y.R.D., Deep Space Lover
B.Y.R.D. makes his solo debut with Deep Space Lover, an album whose mix of atmospheric indie-rock, moody soundscapes, and synthesized electronics reflects not only his upbringing in the American South, but also his years spent in Europe.
A lifelong musician, Brian Byrd grew up singing in Huntsville, Alabama. His father served as a deacon in the Baptist church, and Byrd developed his vocal chops during weekly church services. He began playing guitar after enrolling at Middle Tennessee State University in 1996, and later joined the local group Simon Brawl, where he played bass alongside bandmates Todd Sherwood (future owner of iconic East Nashville club the 5 Spot) and Garson Combs.
Bands came and went over the years. Throughout it all, Byrd remained committed to his craft, even writing dozens of solo songs inspired by his blues and country influences. He continued writing after moving to Nashville in 2004, then relocated to the Netherlands with his Dutch girlfriend in 2010. Those years overseas left a permanent mark on Byrd, who began busking between his shifts at local bars.
"There were a lot of DJs there," he remembers of his time in the Netherlands. "The electronic music scene was thriving. Since that was the entertainment at the bars where I worked, I was inundated with it. It just seeped in, and it had a significant influence on the sound I ended up finding on Deep Space Lover."
Byrd was drawn to the synthesizers and electronic beats that were so prevalent in European music. Although he left the Netherlands in 2015, those sounds stayed with him. He resettled in San Diego with his wife and daughter, but when the marriage ended, he found himself looking for something to mitigate the pain and confusion of divorce. Byrd wound up at his brother's house in Texas, where he began crafting new songs on his laptop. He began seeing a therapist, too, and wrote a song called "Kathleen" about the experience. Other songs followed, featuring not only the nocturnal textures and percussive elements of European electronica, but also melodic hooks that nodded to his favorite American acts. "I suddenly realized that music had the power to pick me up," he says. "I was working my way through a dark time by writing and recording something new."
Deep Space Lover may have been borne from personal struggles, but it's ultimately an uplifting record that's designed to pull its creator — and its listener — out of dark places. Mixing American and European influences, Deep Space Lover creates its own geography.
"I began recording most of it myself, at home in California," says Byrd, who then reached out to producer Ryan Malina to turn his homemade demos into a full-bodied album. "When I got a track to a place where I was comfortable with the song, I'd go into the studio with Ryan. I didn't have a lot of instruments at home, so I was using a lot of MIDI, and then we'd go into his studio and re-track the guitars, bass, and keys."
Recording sessions were spread out, with Deep Space Lover taking shape over a year's worth of monthly tracking sessions. The name refers to Brian Byrd's personal (and musical) reinvention, with the songwriter explaining that "I'd sworn off dating because I had experienced such a bad heartbreak. It would have taken some sort of being from another planet — someone unlike anyone on earth — before I'd put myself in that situation again. Relationships can be too painful. But I also looked at this period as a time to focus on myself, on what I want to do, and on the ways I choose to go forward. I was making time and saving energy for my daughter, because to me, being a father is the most important part of my life."
In his time of need, music and parenthood filled the void in Byrd's life. They became his lovers, so to speak. Deep Space Lover doesn't just capture that rebirth; it also reintroduces its creator as BYRD, a mononym that conjures up images of flight. With Deep Space Lover, he finds his own way to soar.
-Andrew Leahey