Baird on his new song, "Easy On Them Turns"

Baird is making exactly the kind of music he wants to make. Unapologetically himself, the artist/producer shines in his latest track, “Easy On Them Turns,” which reads in reverse as “Turns Them On Easy.” The song is genreless and cool. Baird is unafraid to experiment in both his writing and production. Twenty Minutes Later got the chance to ask Baird a few questions about his latest release. Read our interview below. 

STARTING WITH WHEN YOU FIRST GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS SONG TO WHEN YOU FINISHED IT, WALK ME THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING “EASY ON THEM TURNS.”

I got the idea for the song after I wiped out on my bike going around a turn. I was bleeding kinda bad, so I thought it'd be good to write a song to remind myself not to do that again. My brother Gabe helped me write the chords and tracked the vocals really quickly. Once we had that, it was just a matter of chasing down the idea. I knew the spark of something good was there, but it took some time to get it right. I wrote 3 or 4 different verses on it and did at least 3 different drum grooves before it settled into what it is now. That's how it goes for me sometimes though— really fast then reallyy slowwww. 

WAS THE MAKING OF THIS SONG SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASES? 

Pretty different! With this trilogy of BIRDSONGS mixtapes I'm just exploring, throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. This song specifically is way leaning into hip hop and rap flows more than I've done in the past. It's a different way to write, so I just wanted to try it. 

YOU’VE WORKED A LOT WITH BROCKHAMPTON ON THEIR PREVIOUS RELEASES. IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING ON THE PRODUCER SIDE OF A SONG AND BEING THE ARTIST?

Yeah, it's pretty different. With my own project it's more of an escape. But I've learned so much from those guys, how prolific they are.

ARE THERE ANY NEW SOUNDS OR PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES YOU TRIED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THIS TRACK?

I got this new synth on there! It's the OB-6, and I think I built the main sound off of preset 122.

THE REVERSE OF THE TITLE,“EASY ON THEM TURNS,” IS “TURNS THEM ON EASY.” WAS THAT SOMETHING YOU THOUGHT OF WHILE WRITING THE SONG OR AFTER?

I didn't notice that until we had spray painted it onto the road and then saw it on the pavement and read it in reverse. "Turns Them On Easy" might be an even better title though. 

WHEN YOU PICTURE PEOPLE LISTENING TO THIS SONG HOW DO YOU ENVISION THEM?

Wearing helmets.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE LISTENERS TAKE AWAY FROM THE TRACK AND HOW DO HOPE THEY REACT TO THE LARGER PROJECT? 

I would say... honestly I'm just hacking my way through this shit so you can too. I'm gonna post the individual audio tracks to the song on my website and in my discord, so anyone who wants to can see the layers that went into it, download them, steal the drum loop, whatever you want.

WHAT DID I MISS/ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SONG?

Well the great irony was that making the video for this song I ended up wiping out way worse than the crash that I wrote the song about. I got a pretty nasty black eye and some stitches, not fun. It did make the video way cooler. But if you take anything away, it's that you should wear your helmet when you're out on your bike. It's worth it, I swear. 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “Easy On Them Turns” BY Baird ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. GO LISTEN AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @twentyminuteslater TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE POSTS.