Singles Spotlight: BirdBelly –
“Desert Khaki”

Hello reader,

How are you today?

Today, we’re excited to discuss another artist who continues to create great music: BirdBelly. This is the new moniker of Alberta, Canada-born Métis singer-songwriter Cynthia Hamar. Once I saw the word Métis, I was immediately curious to learn more about the Métis people. To me, it was fascinating to learn more about the Métis people. I suggest you take the time to do the same. 

The moniker BirdBelly, which was first announced in August 2025 with the release of the first single, “Black Horses,” off her debut album The Wind The Wood, which will be released on October 17th. 

Before BirdBelly, Hamar was making a name for herself throughout Canada with previous albums Joint & Marrow (2022), The Son & I (2016), acous.ti.cal.ly (2010), and her home province, Alberta, with tours and shows. Fittingly, The Son & I was an album with her eldest son, Zadok Hamar (who performs as Hamar Hill).

The press release for the song, “Desert Khaki” gives us more insight into Hamar, saying, “By 2019, Hamar was feeling a growing desire to get closer to the core of her music making process, prompting her to enroll in the Recording and Production program at MacEwan University in Edmonton, through which she earned a Bachelor of Music degree with distinction in 2023. In the midst of her studies, she recorded Joint & Marrow, an album that received international praise and earned Hamar a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.”

While I liked the first single, “Black Horses,” I thought that “Desert Khaki was a song that better showcased Hamar’s incredible vocals from opening to closing notes. “Desert Khaki” is a song that punches you in the ears in the best ways from its opening instrumentation. It captivates you, taking you along for the anthemic ride that accompanies earworm moments, an excellent melody featuring great guitarwork, drumming, and even a bass groove. And the lyrics? Hamar proves why she’s well-regarded as a singer-songwriter in Canada. And should be more well-known. To me, all of the above are more than reason enough why SWT needed to shed some spotlight on “Desert Khaki” and why this song serves as a good introduction to BirdBelly and Cynthia Hamar.

Back to the song’s press release, Hamar explained that, “‘Desert Khaki’ is a meditation on moving through a season of unknowns—on the pause, the quiet space we hold when the world is loud and divided. In that waiting, we can feel invisible and insignificant, like a pebble on the beach getting hammered by waves—hidden, yet still part of the whole. It’s about holding that space long enough to understand before we speak, so that when we finally answer, what comes out is love.”

The fantastic, layered video for the anthemic song, “Desert Khaki” from BirdBelly’s YouTube channel:

(All credits and rights to BirdBelly)

In the singles’ press release, Hamar also talked about the album title and themes of the album, saying, “I think there’s definitely a correlation between community and trees—deep roots provide strength. The truth is that adversity can destroy us or strengthen us and that is very dependent on what kind of ‘roots’ we have, or if we have any at all.”

Hamar left us with parting thoughts, “I want to create music that matters—songs with words that inspire, melodies that soften hearts, and chord progressions that open minds and spirits. I can’t be afraid to try, and to not rise to the occasion.”

The cover art for The Wind The Wood:

The tracklist for The Wind The Wood album:

1. Out My Backdoor [3:52]
2. Shirt Pocket [5:08]
3. Desert Khaki [4:49]
4. Where The Two Rivers Meet [6:55]
5. Black Horses [3:21]
6. Fortify (The Wind The Wood Version) [3:43]
7. 25 Years [3:51]
8. Hummingbird [3:59]
9. Taste The Morning Light (Full Version) [3:43]

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com