Almost two years ago exactly, Bowerbirds played an intimate set to a packed house at The Loft at UCSD. Touring on their sophomore release, Upper Air, the North Carolina folk act was definitely making a name for themselves at the time, but still on the brink of being 'full time musicians'. I had the chance to chat with Phil and Beth after the show, hearing about their plans to build a cabin in the woods, while picking up some freelance graphic design and other odd jobs to get by. As the mini-doc below portrays, the cabin has come along nicely, but not without some trials along the way.

As Bowerbirds return with their third record, everything is more polished and professional, from the production and the complex, layered songs to the general outlook on the band. Beth relayed in an email "we're trying to actually not lose money on this band, for once." Recorded at Bon Iver's Wisconsin studio, and at home in North Carolina, The Clearing leads off with the two stellar tracks below. Have a listen, and be sure to grab tickets now for their show at The Casbah on Sunday, April 8th. You can also pre-order Bowerbirds' new record on sleek white vinyl here.

Bowerbirds - "Tuck The Darkness In"

Bowerbirds - "In The Yard"