With several EP's and cassettes released over the last couple of years, Birds of Paradise have slowly managed to manifest it's own identity, personality, sound and DNA, outside of the duo’s other project Red Mass, ultimately resulting in a musical project that incorporates all the creativity and exploration of Red Mass, but one that stands free of the shadow of that band, one that explores softer sounds, if Red Mass sits in the dark, BOP is noire.

Esto Amor (Cuchabata Records), for the uninitiated, is a fantastic entry point into Roy and Hannah's catalogue, incorporating all the elements that make their music so dynamic, wrapped up in an engaging set that stands out amongst past releases. Album opener Drip, is a beautiful mostly acoustic strummer, with washes of distortion. Hannah sings of "...strands of hair, finger nails, voodoo dolls and drips of blood in her cup ... Is she coping with the neglect of a lover by conjuring a curse? Revenge through spirit contact? The songs Dying and Je suis Malheur also dip their pen in to the same dark folk, sounding bleak but beautiful in equal measure, in the latter, you can almost hear the chains the narrator drags behind him.

Title track Esto Amor bounces out with a tale of regret and lost trust, flourished with summery latin accented guitar. One of Birds of Paradise's sonic joys is Roy's acoustic guitar work, like a painter or sculptor, songs are layered and put together with thought. Esto Amor is the closest thing Birds Of Paradise have come to writing a pop song and it's a real pleasure to move to.

Album highlight for this listener has to be Ponce Pilate. The story goes that before writing the song BOP were inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and The Margarita, a novel that Mick Jagger states in the documentary Crossfire Hurricane (2012), inspired the Rolling Stones to write and record"Sympathy For The Devil". The song features a subtle Pixies quiet/ loud exchange and a Michel Polnareff -esque pop sensibility that hits the sweet spot with every listen. The melodies are unescapable and Hannah's vocal build up between verses are some of my favourite musical moments found on any album of late, by the time they wrap back into the verse you can't help but want to go back and hear it again. The song begs to be sung along to and with eyes closed, I envision this song playing as the sun goes down over a festival crowd. Ponce Pilate features both Roy and Hannah on vocals, a pairing that brings balance. The lyrics are some of the best the pair have put down, musically the song sways in refreshing waves of light distortion.

The album has two songs that have previously been released by Red Mass in some form or another Let The Gold Flow, Awake In Dreams as well as a reworking of BOP's Unew U from 2016's Fremont St. Experience. All three are given a second life, and the songs are all the better for it. Let The Gold Flow has finally found it's flow, the song brought out to the forefront when compared to the lo-fi Red Mass version of years past. Awake In Dreams now features Hannah on lead vocals and the song displays a clarity that the piece has always begged for. Unew U transforms itself into a sultry floor stomper, where the original BOP version was a hip shaking garage nugget. Fuzzy guitars satisfy any longing for guitar shredding , the chorus dips into molasses wrapping the song into a dreamy cloud of smoke.

You can buy Esto Amor here.

Birds of Paradise : Esto Amor