When was the last time you heard the Latin/scientific name of an animal species in a song? Egretta garzetta (the little egret), Somateria spectabilis (the king eider) and Somateria mollissima (the common eider) are the specific sea birds that Finnish indie pop duo Burning Hearts (Henry Ojala and Jessika Rapo) pay tribute to in "Sea Birds". As AllMusic's Margaret Reyes has observed, the song "offers a great example of everything the Burning Hearts are doing well on Aboa Sleeping: what with its knotty, dramatic basslines, irresistible hookiness, and shimmering vocals, it has the dense, humid feel of a fever dream".
Melting Ojala's frosty new-age synths, Rapo's warm Scandinavian-accented vocals bear a near-mythic quality as she pays homage to the birds' nautical wanderings, and to the mystique of the Norwegian Sea:
'What a mild and tempting breezeAbove a calm and sleeping seaWith strong arms we swam out to the island
Not anyone knows we were that close
Egretta garzettaEgretta garzettaSomateria spectabilisSomateria spectabilis
Only sea birds can makesuch a soundThat waves will carry aroundFor thousands and thousandsof nautical milesWe heard their beaktalk all through the night'
Lyrics: Musixmatch
