Folk Bitch Trio is an Australian group releasing their debut album on Jagjajuwar Records.
It is almost hard to believe that Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her) and Heide Peverelle (they/them) are unrelated: their voices intertwine and harmonize with ease across Now Would Be A Good Time.
The three are high school friends who formed the group in 2020, but sound as if they have been singing together for a lot longer than five years. Those harmonies; witty, inciteful and unflinching observations on life in your 20s; a natural melding of indie and folk; and a knack for a poetic turn of phrase led the indie music giant Jagjaguwar (Sharon Van Etten, Bon Iver, Angel Olsen) to sign the group after only a handful of singles.
The album begins with the beguiling "God's A Different Sword," a phrase that has been rattling around my head since I first heard it. I really don't know what it means, but I know I like it. The trio's range of harmony is on full display, from the rising and falling unison of the early verses and choruses, to the flourishes Sinclair and Pilkington add during the third verse.
Pilkington takes the lead on "Hotel TV," painting a vivid picture of watching "regional infomercials" on a hotel bed when she should be sleeping. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the partner lying next to her, who she has lost trust in, is the real reason she can't sleep.
"The Actor" continues the chronicling of a relationship heading toward the end. The opening line, "The actor lyin' on the pillow next to me," seemingly picking up right where the previous song left off.
Throughout the album, there is an undercurrent of darkness and menace beneath the sweet melodies and poetic imagery. On "Cathode Ray," a lover is likened to a surgical procedure in the way they open up the singer. The addition of drums and electric guitar add to the uneasy tone, but the lines toward the end seem to say it was all worth it to show their true selves: "Now you know me / Beautiful and strange."
Now Would Be A Good Time is a remarkable debut album from Folk Bitch Trio, and a clear sign of a bright future. Come for the dazzling harmonies that are omnipresent throughout, stay for the maturity and depth of songwriting the most artists don't find until much further into their career.
Must Listens
- "God's A Different Sword"
- "Hotel TV"
- "The Actor"
- "Cathode Ray"
- "Foreign Bird"
- "That's All She Wrote"
- "Sarah"
