“Atomized” By Andrew Bird

In 1967, Joan Didion wrote that she “had dealt directly and flatly with the evidence of atomization, the proof that things fall apart.” Today, Andrew Bird updates her observation with the release of “Atomized,” his first new single and video of 2022.

“Start making your apologies, blaming technology,” he sings. “They’re gonna try to get a rise to unseat you, they’ll demagnetize your poles and you know they’re gonna try to delete you…Here’s what I say to them: things fall apart.”

“Didion was updating W.B. Yeats for the fractious 60s,” Andrew Bird observes, by way of explanation. “This song takes it to the pixelated present where it’s not just society that is getting atomized but the self that is being broken apart and scattered.”

Recorded live by Andrew Bird and his four-piece band of bassist Alan Hampton, drummer Abe Rounds and guitarist-producer Mike Viola, the loose and tantalizing groove of “Atomized” is overlaid not only with hypnotically-plucked violin and seamless, sudden interludes, but sharp affirmations delivered with an effortless cool.

In the accompanying music video, directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin, Bird stands at the center of a surreal world split between light and dark. Chased by a version of himself, he studies his shadow, searches for meaning and sends warnings as his mind and body begin to operate separately. But while he teeters on the edge of sanity – singing, playing, sitting and standing – the rhythm stays steady.

“Atomized” By Andrew Bird
Lyrics

They’re gonna try to get a rise
To unseat you
They’ll demagnetize your poles
And you know they’re gonna try to delete you
So now you’re atomized unwhole

You know better start making your apologies
Stop blaming technology
May you please start making your apologies
Blaming technology

We’re only human that’s what they tell us

Here’s what I say to them what is your point
Is each of us an island or more like Finland

Here’s what I say to them:
Things fall apart

Now there’s something in her eyes that completes you
Every time she cries it brings you low
And just the merest sigh can defeat you
How can you be so wise and still not know?

Andrew Bird – 2022 Tour Dates
6/12 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren*
6/13 – San Diego, CA – The Magnolia*
6/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre*
6/17 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre*
6/18 – Portland, OR – Pioneer Courthouse Square*
6/19 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo*
6/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – TBA*
6/22 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre^
6/23 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
7/10 – Paris, FR – Days Off Festival w/ L’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France
7/12 – Lyon, FR – Les Nuits de Fourvières Festival w/ L’Orchestre national de Lyon
7/14 – Munich, DE – Neue Theaterfabrik
7/15 – Berlin, DE – Metropol
7/16 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg Grote Zaal
7/17 – Köln, DE – Gloria Theater
7/19 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
7/22 – Atlanta, GA – Pullman Yards#
7/23 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit#
7/24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium#
7/25 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth#
7/27 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion#
7/28 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap#
7/29 – New York, NY – Pier 17#
7/30 – New Haven, CT – Westville Bowl#
7/31 – Bethlehem, PA – Steel Stacks#
8/02 – LaFayette, NY – Beak & Skiff#
8/04 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend#
8/05 – Grand Rapids, MI – TBA#
8/06 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater#
8/08 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE#
8/09 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!#
8/10 – St Louis, MO – Chesterfield Amphitheater#
8/12 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed#
8/13 – Minneapolis, MN – Surly#