Three New Diane Birch Tracks

Diane Birch has released three new tracks from her upcoming reportedly eponymous second album. Two of the tracks even have videos. She's already played a couple of shows in New York City, as well as a living room performance streamed from her Williamsburg apartment. It's safe to say we're on the cusp of a new album. Check out the videos for "Unfucked" and "Superstar" as well as the track "Speak a Little Louder" on her media page.

With a new backing band in tow, "Unfucked," "Superstar" and "Speak a Little Louder" all find Diane Birch expanding her intimate Carol King piano pop into more sublime balladry, experimenting with grandiose harmonies, vocal reverb and minor delay and generally more complex arrangements. Birch channeled her classic influences almost without a filter on Bible Belt (her deeply personal lyrics aside), and The Velveteen Age EP consisted exclusively of her putting her own spin on her favourite Goth bands, covering songs by Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and Souxsie and the Banshees among others. Her new album is shaping up to sound like the logical next step: while some of her 80s power ballad influences still naturally trickle through, Birch is really beginning to find her own sound.

Successful second albums are tricky to pull off, especially when following up a debut as flawless and graceful as Bible Belt. But by the sound of Birch's new songs, she's smartly avoiding the mistake of trying to recreate her success, instead opting to make a record that will be equally strong but that will ultimately stand alone from the rest of her work.