Jon Birkholz, the brain behind Adjective Animal, just dropped his sophomore album America’s Got Talons.
The material, which is comprised of pretty old songs according to the singer-songwriter, explores the feeling of being engrossed in the puzzling emotional unrest leading up to a relationship’s demise and the crushing sorrow that ensues.
Describing standout track “Everybody Hide”, Birkholz says, “The song is about what happens when we succumb to pressures to fulfill the roles presented to us by society. In a lot of ways, consumerism and peer pressure work together to create an environment where it is more comfortable to sink into a prescribed role.”
A music video for “Everybody Hide” is also available on YouTube. Created by Ben Clarkson, it quintessentially captures the psychedelic and trippy mood that Birkholz attempts to unsheathe. Depicting a peaceful and calming scenery at first, the video shows a person’s ideal position in life: young, free, and with little to no concern; but also how it’s taken away.
Without warning an unidentified flying object made up of what looks like a cluster of tombstones with stained glass to the front begins to conquer the sky, overshadowing everything beneath it. As the music progresses, so does the apocalyptic immersion. People can be seen hiding in the woods, terrified and trying to make sense of what’s happening. What they don’t realize is that it’s only getting worse.
Amid the subtly dreamy, raw sonic aesthetic, the ordeal of two young adults, both of whom come from the beach, is brought center stage. They are seen running away in fear from the huge flying mass of graves that is unhurriedly—but relentlessly—eating up the whole of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is later revealed that they have grown old trying to avoid what they perceive as danger, not really achieving anything, let alone safety.
The buildup’s intensity oddly keeps the balance between the rather loose and murky instrumentation. As a whirlwind of dusky hues flashes before the now white-haired character’s eyes, the sun, at long last, finally sets from afar, only to be greeted by an inescapable explosion that covers the then warm and vivid place in ashes except for one thing: a red radio that’s apparently the emblem of a delicate civilization—one that nevertheless outlives human wit.
The number is the second track off of the much-awaited project from Birklholz, who revealed to have put down all the demos on an 8-track recorder prior to reimagining and committing to their final form.
Watch the official music video for “Everybody Hide” and stream America’s Got Talons below.
Sam is a mediocre artist, musician, and the founder and editor in chief of UNXIGNED. He is a Juris Doctor who leads an excitingly boring life in the confines of his room juggling studies with passion and dreams. He is terrible at finding balance but gets by anyhow. He wants you to follow his artist pages and channels for when he decides to up his game. Pretty open for collabs and will mix your would-be hit song for cheap.
