Tilly Birds is back with a new English single – “Retro-39”, a nostalgic trip with a fresh sound

Thai alt-pop band Tilly Birds is back with a new English single, “Retro-39”. Taking late nineties to early 21st century nostalgia to showcase their growth as artists, they aim to capture the hearts of multiple generations with this upbeat and easygoing soundtrack to love and life.

“Retro-39” marks Tilly Birds’ latest effort to bring more international listeners into their soundscape. Over the years, they’ve played festivals and concerts all around Asia, always eager to be where people are waiting to see them. Their previous English release, the heavy rock track “White Pills”, is a setlist staple that finally made its way to the studio and then people’s playlists even all the way to Latin America earlier this year. “Retro-39” is their second fully English-language track, which the trio worked on together in every aspect, with a bit of help from a friend, Pat, who provided the finishing touches.

Regarding its direction, Third (vocals) said the band felt that after ‘White Pills’, they needed something lighter for a change. Milo (drums) further explained that since they had been playing the song for two years now and were gearing up for their next album, it made sense to come up something completely new – “Songs are like people; they age. This song made us realize that we’re growing up, and that we needed to make music that matches where we are in our lives right now.”

Kicking off from that feeling, Billy (guitar) and Milo began with a tune. The title “Retro-39” didn’t come to be, much less fit into the lyrics at the start. “Back then, what we had was ‘double speakers’,” Third shared with a laugh. “I forgot about that,” Billy also cracked up in response.

Some struggle with rhyme, a visit to poems.com, a bunch of digging through the search engine, and five days later, they landed on this funky name for a tape recorder. “I feel like people will be disappointed to know that that’s how the song was made,” Billy quipped. “Like, it’s cool, but also it was Google.”

The process reflected the carefree fun and joyous thrill that the single evoked. Ultimately, it took neither too long nor too quickly to complete. By demo five, they had the song ready, and Billy bought a Retro-39 himself. It arrived just as they were about to record Third’s vocals – “This thing gave me power.”

It’s with the same suddenness and conviction that Third came to be in charge of the music video. Billy shared that it got pretty tense between the three of them as they tried to figure out a director, until Third jumped in to say he’d do it. “We just landed back from Japan, and while we were waiting for our luggage, he was like, ‘I got it!’ Then he sent us the notes.”

Third noted how working on the plane was great, because the absence of connectivity meant you were essentially unstoppable. Enlisting the help of Cehadoo as co-director, what came about was a visual love letter to romantic comedies now considered modern classics, incorporating nods to films like (500) Days of Summer, About Time, There’s Something About Mary, and Love Actually, and packed the video with pop culture references from a time that was nostalgic to their generation.

“My love for romantic comedies is immeasurable. It forms my childhood and my filmography,” declared Third. “I thought these movies, they’re old enough for us to go back to now. When we finished the music video, I was blown away. It’s exactly as we thought before we decided to make it. We made this with love for the retro era. It’s maybe something our generation would want the next generation to look back to.”

“Retro-39” is designed to be both a sentimental throwback and a fresh experience for listeners, and the band is not shy about what they hope the song will achieve. “This is probably the brightest song we've ever made, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. We’re gonna lure them in with this. This is the bait,” says Billy.

“We want this to become the first door that you can open to enjoy Tilly Birds,” adds Milo. “It’s a timeless jam of pop music and it makes us very proud to share it with you guys.”