September 4, 2017

The Mynabirds’ New Songs Are Strikingly Fierce, Yet Hopeful

Singer Laura Burhenn wrote and recorded her new album in the weeks following the presidential inauguration.

The Mynabirds

Be Here Now

Saddle Creek

Laura Burhenn has a husky, engaging voice that can enhance almost any setting, and she proves it in dramatic fashion on Be Here Now. Mostly written and recorded early this year in the weeks following the presidential inauguration, her fourth outing as The Mynabirds ranges from stadium-worthy solidarity anthems (the title track) and expansive piano ballads lamenting lost heroes (“Golden Age”) to soaring resistance rockers (“Shouting at the Dark”) and sleek, insistent dance grooves (“Ashes in the Rain”). While there’s a strong current of anxiety throughout, Burhenn’s defiant spirit shines brightly on this ultimately uplifting album, making it a perfect soundtrack for desperate, but far from hopeless, times. Sample lyric: “My heart’s full of love and all kinds of peace/But I think even I could punch a Nazi in the face.”

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