Sparkbird – Disembodied Mind (2023)
The brainchild of non-binary queer singer-songwriter Stephan Nance, Sparkbird finds the line between baroque pop, indie-folk and folk-pop with surreal symphonic melodies. Embracing their passion for music at a young age, Sparkbird explains in an interview with Lost In The Manor, that they “…have been making songs up for almost as long as I can remember. I started taking piano lessons when I was around 6 years old…” – and it seems the joy of music is still flowing through Sparkbird. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Disembodied Mind’.
Describing their music as a form of “poetic piano pop”, ‘Disembodied Mind’ boldly slips indie-folk in a sea of orchestral sound with tinges of alternative-pop about the sonic waters. This is my introduction to Sparkbird and one element I love is the abstractness of their work. Rich, powerful and dynamic, a forcefulness exists in ‘Disembodied Mind’; however, there is a simultaneous tender warmth and elegance in the song. Disconcerting, haunting and brash, but also charming in its introspective swirls, ‘Disembodied Mind’ is an avant-garde tapestry of sound.
In the same interview with Lost In The Manor, Sparkbird shares that “a big theme in my work is the intersection of the human experience and nature…” As with the previous song ‘Silent Film’ which looks at the unbearable grief-stricken silence following a tragic death (their parrot died unexpectedly), Sparkbird lays bare raw human emotion in ‘Disembodied Mind’. Penned at the suggestion of their therapist, ‘Disembodied Mind’ touches on the issues of body dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, and the lyricism questions their reality from a mental health perspective. Sparkbird explains that the song is about “…feeling at odds with the person in the mirror”; hence, the lyrics of “being in trouble with myself again”.
For more from Sparkbird, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
