BiRd-BrAiNs is the debut record from tUnE-yArDs, the singular musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus. Recording herself using a digital voice recorder and produced using shareware mixing software, Garbus was described by Stereogum as "a self-contained Sublime Frequencies compilation, jumping between blues, African tunes, shiny reggae-esque sprawls, and lo-fi folk", infusing the worldly sonic palette of M.I.A. or post-punk pioneers The Raincoats. Merrill comments on BiRd-BrAiNs: "It is a patchwork of sound snippets, of history in a present tense. It is a composer's commitment to the preservation of stories, however small and unassuming."