Formed in 2018, East of June features vocalist Emily Rath, Kyle Mortensen on guitar, and bassist Dirk Lance, who was a founding member of Incubus and was a driving force behind their albums S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Make Yourself, and Morning View.
Interestingly enough, East of June owes Bumble for it’s existence: Mortensen swiped right on Rath’s profile and while they didn’t know it at the time, that was the beginnings of this project. They decided they had something awesome to share, and put a name to their collaboration, and then welcomed in Lance to round out the power trio.
Fast forward to today, and along the way they released five singles, with their sixth single, “Little Bird,” dropping today. The song as born out of self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a unique writing experience for the band. “The song came about during this very strange time in our world and might not have been created otherwise,” says Lance. “During the first week of quarantine in LA, Kyle decided he better write a simple acoustic song that could easily be recorded and produced given the limitations of everyone being stuck at home. So, he sat outside on his porch and started developing the guitar melody and basic song structure, which led to Emily writing the concept and I shaped the bridge and overall flow and production of the tune.”
“Little Bird” is a breezy ballad that highlights of the members’ strengths — from Kyle’s dramatic acoustic guitar to Emily’s soaring and crisp emotive vocals to Dirk’s Zeppelin-esque bass line — and is a testament to the natural chemistry that exists within East of June.
“Little Bird” is written from a parent’s perspective as their child moves out for the first time, the song carries that nervousness, hope, and trust that everything will work out. “Creatively, I felt a strong connection to my own life writing these lyrics because as an only child I was somewhat of a late bloomer in many ways and felt a little more anxiety about leaving my comfort zone than others my age,” explains Rath about the track. “However, I knew that when I did, I would always have the support and love of my family to carry me regardless of how far away I went. I wanted to show that idea in the song by exploring how hard it can be for not only the child, but the parent too who knows that you can’t truly discover who you were meant to be without taking risks, learning your own lessons and flying away from the nest even when you’re scared.”
Listen to “Little Bird” below.
