Set for release on May 15th, 2026 via Earshift Music, the project brings together musicians from very different corners of the Australian music landscape to explore a shared love of groove, texture and spontaneous creation.

Drawing on 1970s Afrobeat, soul and dub-reggae influences, Distant Birds moves through moody soundscapes of pulsing bass lines, swirling Moog synths, Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ. Layered horn lines from trumpeter Ellen Kirkwood and baritone saxophonist Matt Ottignon weave through the music, doubling and extending Abrahams’ keyboard improvisations.

Recorded live in single takes, the sessions capture the fluid energy of the band in motion. Long-form pieces develop gradually, built on hypnotic grooves, evolving textures and rhythmic interplay designed as much for immersive listening as for the dancefloor.

Abrahams brings the exploratory sensibility that has defined his work with the acclaimed trio The Necks, shaping expansive keyboard textures that move between minimalism, ambience and melodic tension.

Symes – best known as a longtime member of the ARIA-winning band Boy & Bear – brings a groove-driven approach informed by decades working across pop, soul, jazz and experimental music. His musical direction was strongly shaped by mentorship from the late Jackie Orszaczky, whose influence continues to inform his collaborative, exploratory style.

At the rhythmic core of the project is drummer Evan Mannell, whose fluid playing anchors the music’s open structures while allowing the improvisations to breathe. Together, the ensemble creates a sound world where repetition becomes propulsion and improvisation unfolds through collective momentum.

Across Distant Birds, Vol. 01 & 02, groove and atmosphere move hand in hand – a collaboration shaped by instinct, listening and the shared language of improvisation.