Check out Birdeatsbaby’s creepy new video

(Image credit: Scott Chalmers)

Birdeatsbaby have released the third single from their latest album The World Conspires, which is produced by John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode). Box Of Razorblades explores themes of depression, self-harm, alcoholism and bipolar disorder.

Says vocalist Mishkin Fitzgerald: “Box of Razorblades is us trying to create a musical equivalent of a tragic love-story. At the time we wrote it we were on a long tour in America and listening to all kinds of things in the tour van, from Opeth to PJ Harvey to Baroness to Gojira. I think the depth and bleakness of those artists was something we wanted to achieve in our own music. We also had more freedom and time to be creative for this album, add the ability to add many more strings/guitars/vocal layers, so the song could build and build to a devastating climax.”

The video has been produced by Scott Chalmers (Devin Townsend) and includes special effects by Oliver Hollingdale (Avengers). It captures the theatrical band at various locations and even includes a voodoo ritual.

“The video subject matter is as intense as the song is,” says Fitzgerald. “It’s about a person living with someone who has a mental illness, and the impact it can have on both their lives. The box is representative as a burden that must be carried from person to person but never explained or opened, adding to the sense of despair that the riddle of someone’s mind can never be solved. Not exactly our cheeriest song but then this is what Birdeatsbaby does best.”

Birdeatsbaby 2020 Tour

Apr 11: Camden Unicorn (London), UK
May 29: Karlsruhe Kellerhalle, Germany
May 31: Leipzig Sixtina, Germany
Jun 01: Munich Glockenbachwerkstatt, Germany
Jun 05: Berlin Supamolly, Germany
Jun 08: Freiburg Slowclub, Germany
Jun 11: Bochum Bastion, Germany
Jun 12: Celle Ms Loretta, Germany
Jun 13: Bielefeld Extra Blues-Bar, Germany
Jun 14: Schwalbach Cowhide, Germany

Birdeatsbaby fantasy cover art for The World Conspires — (Image credit: Birdeatsbaby)

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.