[Cover photo credit to Vivian Wang]
Bird Streets, the alter-ego and musical brainchild of Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Brodeur, emerged in 2018 with a self-titled album. The Ghost Notes EP and 2022’s full length album Lagoon, followed, for the latter enlisting production by Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Michael Lockwood (Fiona Apple), plus hosting guest appearances from Ed Harcourt, Aimee Mann, John Davis (Superdrag), and Jody Stephens (Big Star).
Now, Bird Streets has announced the forthcoming release of his third LP, The Escape Artist, due October 17, 2025, and share the album’s lead single, “Mistaker,” and its accompanying music video. The album was almost entirely performed by Brodeur and his longtime collaborator, producer Jason Falkner (Jellyfish, Beck, St. Vincent), with contributions from Gina Romantini (Wallflowers, Jayhawks), Zach Jones (Sting) and Oscar Albis Rodriguez (A Great Big World).
In the “Mistaker” music video, Brodeur plays a man for hire in an homage to classic ’70s-era thrillers like The French Connection and Sorcerer. It features cameos by Tracy Danielle (aka Pepper Somerset of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), British actor Martin Ewens (Red Oaks), Julie Smith (of NYC performance troupe The Love Show), and Kelsey Warren (aka Blak Emoji). It was directed by Joanna Choy, who previously helmed the “Sleeper Agent” video for Bird Streets.
On the album’s lead single, Brodeur says:
“The ‘trembling giant’ is a reference to Pando, a massive interconnected tree system in Utah. It looks like 40,000 individual trees, but it’s really just one enormous quaking aspen with a single root system. I heard about it on a public radio show one morning, and the term stuck with me. I imagined the trembling giant as the shame monster lurking within, waiting to ruin your day. “Mr. Self Destruct” is, of course, a Nine Inch Nails song title, and the phrase that sparked the entire song. I tried to spin our protagonist into something of a literal anti-hero, which eventually led to one of my favorite lines: I’m a superhero in reverse / Don’t call me ‘til you have tried everyone first / And no one will come to your rescue.
This may be the poppiest song about self-loathing I’ve ever written, and I am exceedingly proud of it. The way the verse is like one long melodic idea with no repeats, the imagery, all those damn hooks. The chord progression and guitar line make it sound a bit like a James Bond theme, while the bridge reminds me of the great Canadian band Sloan. This was the first thing Jason and I worked on for the record. I wrote and started tracking it at home in Brooklyn, but I think all that survived were the bridge harmonies, and maybe a guitar part or two.”
The Escape Artist was recorded at Jason Falkner’s studio, Rhetoric, in Los Angeles, and additional tracking was completed at Studio G and Brodeur’s home studio in Brooklyn. Bird Streets has also detailed an upcoming run of shows throughout the U.S.
Bird Streets Tour Dates:
07/18/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Music City +
07/19/25 – Ashland, OR @ Oberon’s w/ Eel Sallad +
07/20/25 – Portland, OR @ White Eagle Saloon w/ Ryan Sollee +
07/22/25 – Seattle, WA @ Tim’s Tavern w/ Caleb & Walter +
07/26/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café +
08/07/25 – Stockbridge, MA @ Lion’s Den *
09/06/25 – Haverford Township, PA @ Haverford Music Festival $
09/07/25 – Keansburg, NJ @ Bayzara Music Festival $
09/13/25 – Pelham, NY @ Toonerville Music Festival $
* = solo
+ = duo with Gina Romantini
$ = full band
