BRRRDS+Y — Glashaus

It was deep in the heart of spooky season that I first listened to Glashaus - the debut album from all-female quartet BRRRDS+Y, and to be quite honest, it could not have come at a better time. Centred around a collection of voice, whistles, recorders and flute – all having undergone some degree of electronic modification, Glashaus offers an atmospheric eruption that initiates a deep sense of foreboding and otherworldliness.

Gender should be an irrelevant detail when it comes to discussing art. But by the same token, there’s always a mild burst of personal delight when encountering an all-female venture. The trio that is BRRRDS have been playing together since 2022 - improvising and writing music using their chosen assortment of flutes, whistles and recorders while also taking centre stage as vocalists. All three are musicians in their own right of course - based in Vienna and firmly entrenched in the world of sound experimentation. Recorder player and bassoonist, Christine Gigler’s repertoire stretches from early music to contemporary improvisation, teaching and performing as part of VIVID Consort and the Ensemble Pneuma, while Maja Osojnik similarly favours the recorder, working with field recordings and equally unrestricted in her interest in the experimental. She is also the founder of MAMKA Records – home to Glashaus. The third piece of the puzzle is provided by flautist Sara Zlanabitnig, another longstanding member of the Viennese avant-garde community and an integral part of the Frau*feld platform for the visualisation of female musicians.

Joining them is Milena Georgieva, aka Yuzu (the ‘+Y’) who brings both modular synth and live electronics to the project, elevating the trio’s music and creating something entirely unique. As a quartet, BRRRDS +Y are inspired by the old and the new. Propelled by the organic process of making music without being wedded to a prefigured idea or concept allowing in unpredictability and creativity as they progressively mould their sound.

For the making of this album, the quartet decamped to the tranquillity of Waldviertel over the summer of 2025 and began to assemble the field recordings that would find their way onto the album. “Damp earth, rising mist, the depths of the sea, flocks of birds and schools of fish, floating fungal spores – images and atmospheres permeate the imagined biotope of BRRRDS+Y.” The ‘external’ unquestionably seeps into the album, enhancing its overall sensibility, which incidentally is notable for its lack of individualism – the four musicians working as one unit framed within the all-important improvisational context. This approach was then augmented by a post-production process that saw their music rearranged and compositionally condensed to create an encompassing world of sound.

Formed of eight tracks - each named ‘Glashaus’ according to the order they appear on the album, Glashaus is not a continuous piece of music instead, it is a set of individual, standalone compositions, each adopting a singular atmosphere ranging from the industrial - ‘Glashaus 02’ to the ambient - ‘Glashaus 06’. Each superbly meshes all elements at play - the blowing of the mouthpiece, the electronic glitch, the flute, the ethereal voices, the birdsong. This is a truly innovative piece of work – layered with inventiveness and depth. A wonderful debut.