Since signing to AnalogueTrash in April of this year, Bristol alternative quintet Birdman Cult have been busy preparing for the release of their debut full length album by teasing a number of lead singles, the latest of which – and their label debut – is the anthemic Maiden, Mother, Crone.

Since the band’s formation in 2020, they have been refining their distinct blend of hook-heavy, post-punk and garage-rock - one the band describes as “anthemic-doomy rock and roll.”

Maiden, Mother, Crone effortlessly pivots from stadium-friendly choruses to fuzzy garage rock workouts, as the lyrics delve into the mystic past and places ideas found there into a meditation of what it means to be a man today. Think Fontaines DC meeting Viagra Boys at ArcTanGent festival, and you’ll begin to get a feel for the blend of influences at play in Birdman Cult’s music.

Says lead vocalist Joe, “Each verse is a dedication to the women in my life. Being a son, husband, and most recently a new father had me reflecting on my relationships with my mother, daughter, and wife.

This reflection triggered new insight for Joe: “I had a moment of realisation around what they mean to me and began to think about how I was witnessing three stages of female roles from the standpoint of the male in their lives. These three figures are often described as the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone in common Neopagan usage. Each of which symbolises a separate stage in the female life cycle.”

The track’s almost spiritual, earth-centred quality and its reflection on recognising our links to the past is also reflected in the band’s name.

“We are named in part after The Birdman Cult, an ancient religious sect who inhabited Easter Island until they were suppressed by Christian missionaries in the 1860s”, explains Joe.

“A second influence is the metaphor of the Tangat Manu or ‘Birdman’, where representatives of native clans would select a prospective champion to retrieve a seasonal egg from a remote island. The winner would retrieve the much-coveted prize, grow their hair and nails, be lavished with the season’s harvest and never have to want for anything, until the next Tangat Manu was victorious.”

Mother, Maiden, Crone got an airing at the Bristol edition of the prestigious Dot to Dot Festival this May and is sure to get a runout as part of the band’s set at Acid Fest this August at Paper Dress Vintage in London.