Towa Bird is set to release her debut album, “American Hero” while on the Snow Hard Feelings tour with Reneé Rapp. The tour is in lieu of the release of several singles, including her most recent song, “This Isn’t Me.”
Bird’s music can be characterized by its impressive guitar solos and sensitive lyrics. Her upcoming album is self-described as having a range of songs that are “earnest and vulnerable” but also “dancey and fun.”
Towa cites bands like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gorillaz, Oasis, and Jimi Hendrix as artists that inspire her music, which is clear by her songs’ clear classic rock influence mixed with more contemporary indie pop progressions and synths.
Her latest single, “This Isn’t Me,” is described as having a kind of cathartic and emotional process. Written about Bird’s experience at Paris fashion week in 2021, “This Isn’t Me” deals with the feelings of alienation and inauthenticity that Bird felt while she was abroad.
“I had just come off [the] flight, and all of my emotions were all over the place, and the energy and the jet lag was just crazy,” said Bird. “In a way that was kind of really helpful for writing this song because I had no filter…It was more like I just had to throw up all my words onto the page.”
On the other hand, some of Bird’s songs deal with more sensitive topics like relationships, past mistakes, and personal growth.
“[The song] ‘Wild Heart’ is about the way I used to navigate [romantic] relationships,” says Bird. “It’s kind of just about emotional growth and learning how to respect myself and learning how to respect other people.”
Despite the emotional vulnerability that Bird practices in her songwriting, her album includes elements of wit and irony, namely, the album’s title: American Hero.
“A lot of these songs were written in a transitionary period of my life…[I was] learning to acclimate with American culture and coming to terms with myself as an immigrant,” said Bird. “You’re seeing a lot of vulnerability and a lot of heart that I’m putting out there which is kind of the opposite of a hero…the title is completely ironic.”
Moreover, Bird expressed her gratitude regarding her ability to write and produce music as a creative outlet, maintaining that she was looking forward to performing in the Snow Hard Feelings tour and continuing to experiment with her writing and guitar playing.
“[It’s] such a beautiful form of expression, to be able to song write,” says Bird. “[It’s such a] high form of privilege for me to be able to have.”
Listen to their latest music HERE