Fusilier is a name synonymous with the blurring of lines between musical expression and emotional artistry. The project of Atlanta native and New York City creative Blake Fusilier, who once provided the heavy low-end for seismic Boston rock trio RIBS before carefully redefining notions of alternative and R&B, returns today (December 3) with a gripping new track called “Birds.”
Released via IS NOT MUSIC, “Birds” plays with the relationship between sounds and spaces, exploring the anxious mind of an artist in the modern day, gradually building in tension and urgency as Fusilier’s falsetto grows to a claustrophobic crescendo as the distant beats and treats he’s so delicately weaved into rhythm begin to eventually close in. The “Birds” at the metaphorical center of Fusilier’s lyrical wordplay often don’t understand the caged surroundings they’ve created until there is no way to fully escape them.
“While that specificity might make the song less marketable, it’s the reason why the song is so emotional,” Fusilier says. “It’s probably my most unvarnished accounting of how I feel. It’s really easy to debase yourself when promised everything you’ve ever wanted.”
The transcendent “Birds” is Fusilier’s first new music since 2022’s Treason EP. Revisit our recent-ish flowers on prior singles “Upstream” and “Make You”, and explore Fusilier’s latest through the track’s performative music video. It was crafted by photographer Kevin Alexander with co-direction by Terrance Thomas, and stars Fusilier’s brother Lionel Fusilier, who undergoes an absurdist transformation for the sake of art.
“Being an artist is hard because ultimately every image you produce or word you utter reflects back on work that should speak for itself,” Fusilier writes on Insta. “It can be paralyzing. I’m constantly losing my sense of self and my confidence and gaining it right back the next day. I’m not sure whether the humility or pride is the performance anymore. I don’t think it matters. I’m learning to love the process including the quiet moments of reflection, the critiques, and the post show blues. I’m lucky to be able to put all of these thoughts into a song that I love listening to and love performing.”
We’re all much better for it. Fly high with Fusilier’s “Birds” below.