Deathbird Earth Premiere Collaborative LPs with Nick Millevoi and Planet Y
Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on March 11th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
Here’s the deal as best as I understand it. Philadelphia two-piece Deathbird Earth are releasing their debut album, Objective Consciousness, on April 3 through SRA Records. Pretty straightforward, right? Yeah, until you get to the fact that before they put out that record, they’ve got two separate collaborative LPs coming out this Friday, March 12, working with guitarist Nick Millevoi and Planet Y, which is the two-piece of Pete Wilder and Yanni Papadopoulos (the latter of instrumentalist legends Stinking Lizaveta). Got all that? Good. Because then you get into the music, and the picture isn’t going to get any less complex or willfully weird from there.
The two collaborative albums are self-titled, so it’s Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi and Deathbird Earth + Planet Y both out this week ahead of Deathbird Earth‘s standalone debut next month. The first of the collabs, alphabetically, Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi is comprised of six songs and runs 39 minutes, opening with the longest track (immediate points) with “Four” checking in at 11:42 of big nod, keyboard flourish, hypnotic guitar and rolling drums. It’s definitely psychedelic, and it’s definitely heavy, but it’s more Xiu Xiu than Earthless in terms of the feeling that anything might happen at any given point. The improv gets a little angular in the second half, but it may be that the beginning had a plan and they departed from it — the ‘main riff’ comes back with more synthy texture to close in “Five” — and the spontaneity becomes part of the persona, extending to the willingness of the band to think beyond their own configuration.
Which I think is how we got here, and just to be clear, by “weird” I mean deeply 
creative, forward-thinking, and well enough outside even the heavy underground’s genre-worshiping mainstream to wear its oddball presentation on the sleeve of its aural wizard robe. Even down to presenting the songs as numbers out of order — which they do on both releases — feels purposeful to disorient or knock the listener out of some comfort zone and thus put them in better position to appreciate the John–Carpenter-meets-Twin–Peaks drumless drone and wandering guitar of “One” or the subsequent wash that permeates “Three,” all the more satisfying because the synth and drum beat kind of make it sound like the music over a montage in an ’80s action movie. Like you’re watching Over the Top and here comes the psychblast you didn’t know you needed but very much did. Also one hundred percent willing to believe they made it up on the spot.
Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi‘s side B starts with the likewise extended “Two,” which brings lower distortion to its 9:40 run for a more melancholy mood, and just like on side A — see there is a plan, even if happens after the fact — the following cut, “Six,” holds back on drums (there are still cymbals) in order to let the guitar and synth texture out for five minutes before “Five” caps with the already-noted, somewhat-sneaky bit of semi-recognizable symmetry. Glitchier in its keyboardery but also pushing more toward an organic cosmic techno than the partially-guitar-based Millevoi collaboration (yes there’s guitar here too, it’s a question of balance between the elements), Deathbird Earth + Planet Y is shorter at four tracks (two per side) and 38 minutes, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s the more ‘out there’ of the two. Bookended by “One” (12:04) and “Four” (15:00), the latter of which closes with perhaps the most straightforward riff on either of the two outings, like its companion, it is not an undertaking for the square of heart.
Maybe it’s the keyboardier-sounding layers, or the drum-machine peeking through to enhance the repetition later in “Four,” or the way “Three” explores itself into a jam, but Deathbird Earth + Planet Y feels distinct in its spaciousness, and is its own kind of entrancing. “Two,” preceding “Four” at the start of side B, brings a harpsichordy central figure and builds up around that, indicative somewhat of process in its jump-in-and-go mentality but also unfolding as a thought-out arrangement might, one synthesizer establishing the line, another joining, the drums coming in a little while later as the the first notes on guitar arrive and the keyboard sweeps back into the forward position of the mix. Maybe a bit of Grails influence? There’s a cinematic aspect, but soon enough “Four” takes hold with its two-movement grandeur, spending its first seven-plus minutes subtly building around its initial keyboard line (there’s theremin in there around the halfway point; it’s real) before the fuzz takes over, a shaking tambourine joins the fray, and they finish minded for movement before it devolves into residual noise.
And the fact that they kept that noise, that they let it go and finish with a wisp-out instead
of just fading when the riff was done, is further indicative of the purpose here, extending to Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi as well as Deathbird Earth + Planet Y in its drive toward presenting the material as it happened. That’s not to say there’s no editing being done — these processions have been carved out of longer explorations, but there isn’t so much cut and paste as to take away from the improvisational vibe — but musical ideology comes through more than post-production, and the commonalities and divergences between the two albums speak to each other without feeling like a series or a schtick. As Deathbird Earth make ready to unfurl Objective Consciousness, they’ve already found a way to be inspiring in their experimentation and far-out-of-the-box approach.
Let’s say — hypothetically — you’ve read all of the above and you’re like, “you know, I feel prepared to take on one or maybe even both of these records.” Great. Here’s what to know before you go. Keep your mind active and open. Take bliss as it comes because it won’t always be there. Know that even if there isn’t intended direction, procession happens from one place to another in each piece, so don’t be surprise if and when you end up someplace other than where you started. All of this applies to life in general as much as listening to weirdo experimental psych, so if you want to write any of that down or whatnot, feel free.
That said, there’s copious info and preorder links under the players for both records below. And if you do dive into one or both of these LPs, happy trails, I hope you enjoy:
Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi, Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi album premiere
Deathbird Earth + Planet Y, Deathbird Earth + Planet Y album premiere
Deathbird Earth – Collaborations w/ Planet-Y & Nick Millevoi
Collaboration LPs out March 12th: “Deathbird Earth + Planet-Y” & “Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi”
Debut album “Objective Consciousness” out April 3rd on SRA Records pre-order: https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-objective-consciousness/
Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi:
Says BJ, “I have known Nick for a long time. Our old bands played together often and whenever we needed someone to fill in at a show or on tour Nick was always there. He’s a phenomenal guitarist known for his ability to improvise. I saw him play a set last year at PhilaMOCA with Steve Montenegro and a glitchy drum machine where he built up this big sound from a very small thing and it was impressive. I wanted to take some of that idea and bring it to our album. Of course once we got going we kept going with parts flowing out of us quickly. The closest we got to planning something out was saying “let’s do that again but shorter” (ONE vs SIX) and “we should do something like Hawkwind” (THREE). I had a great time working with Nick and was very happy that we had so much extra material that we could make a full album out of it on its own.”
Dave adds, “Unlike BJ, I had never met Nick before the session where we recorded these tracks. Similarly, improvising an entire album’s worth of material and having it be good enough to release it into the world was a new experience for me. I’m always excited to do something different than things I have done in a past life and as a result this album was a very rewarding personal experience.”
Deathbird Earth + Nick Millevoi
Out March 12th, 2026
LP & cassette
SRA Records pre-order: https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-nick-millevoi-collaborative-album/
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by BJ at Red Planet
Recorded October 29th, 2025
Artwork by Alex Smith
Nick Millevoi – Guitar
BJ – Bass, drone flute, synthesizers
Dave – Drums, synthesizers
Deathbird Earth + Planet-Y:
On the collaboration with Planet-Y, Pete Wilder (EDO) explains, “When Planet Y agreed to collaborate with Deathbird Earth, I was not sure how it would go. It was all going to be improv, with no net and no advance directive. As soon as the session began, it was clear that Deathbird Earth’s driving, heavy grooves and vintage keyboards were going to mesh with Planet-Y’s vintage deep space, sonic exploration.
“But as the session progressed, and the mutual musical footing took hold, some gold began to form. Dave’s heavy anchor of drums combined with Bruce’s pile-driving, overdriven bass was like witnessing an asteroid bursting through the Earth’s atmosphere, unleashing volcanic eruptions and thunder. With Deathbird Earth bringing the ground-shaking rumbling of a cataclysm, and Planet-Y bearing witness from deep space, it somehow all works – creating some fascinating surprises, and a great deep listening experience.”
Deathbird Earth + Planet-Y
Out March 12th, 2026
LP & cassette
SRA Records pre-order: https://srarecords.com/shop/sra/deathbird-earth-planet-y-collaborative-album/
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by BJ at Red Planet
Recorded November 1st, 2025
Artwork by Alex Smith
Planet-Y:
Pete Wilder – Guitar, theremin
Yanni Papadopoulos – Drum machine, Casio DG-20
Deathbird Earth:
BJ – Bass, synthesizers
Dave – Drums, synthesizers
