London-based six-piece Birds Flying Backwards have released ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’, the fourth and final single from their upcoming debut album Lovebirds, which is set to arrive on March 11th via Real Love Recording Co..
Known for their blend of alt-country, indie-folk and psychedelic rock, Birds Flying Backwards continue to establish themselves as one to watch. ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ leans into the folk and Americana side of their sound, bringing an organic, earthy warmth through layered acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, bass, and drums. Warm, worn-in picked strings and the dual vocals of Joe and India create radiant harmonies, giving the song a reflective yet quietly confident feel that reflects the overarching mood of the album.
Speaking about the single, the band explain: “‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ is about finding yourself after heartbreak, and the resoluteness and self-assuredness that it takes to move on. Taking cues from Cut Worms, Daniel Romano and Wilco, it shifts the record from loss towards resolve – the moment when the dust finally settles.”
The track was mixed by Joe Wyatt at Abbey Road Studios, whose credits include The Smile and The Beatles Anthologies, and mastered by Timothy Stollenwork, known for his work with Kevin Morby, Drugdealer, John Andrews and The Yawns and Arthur Russell, enhancing the warm, organic quality of the sound.
Birds Flying Backwards will launch the single with a performance at The Shacklewell Arms on February 23rd, followed by a performance at the Berlin Folk Festival on March 14th alongside Drugdealer, The Mystery Lights and others in support of the upcoming album.
The debut album Lovebirds is an ode to love in all its forms: romantic love, love for friends, familial love, heartbreak, and learning to love oneself. Recorded entirely live over four days in early 2025, the 10-track long-player reflects on love as both fragile and essential, a source of beauty, sadness, and solidarity in an increasingly divided world. “Lovebirds is about love as something powerful and necessary,” the band explain. “It can be heartbreaking and life-affirming at the same time, and it’s something worth protecting.”
Formed by childhood friends and family around principal songwriter JR Sanders, Birds Flying Backwards move fluidly between alt-folk, droning psychedelia, and left-field spiritual jazz, anchored by heartfelt lyricism and rich harmonies. They first gained wider attention in 2024 while touring with The Hanging Stars and with the release of their debut EP Surrender to The Void, earning praise across the music press and radio.
‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ offers a glimpse into the reflective and resolute sound of Lovebirds, an album that promises tenderness, warmth, and a deep sense of emotional connection.
