Sep 18, 2019
Paper Hawk - Northern Sky
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Paper Hawk - Northern Sky
Getting To Know...
Paper Hawk.
Crafting an intimate, ethereal sound, inviting you into their private world, Paper Hawk’s debut EP The Tide was released earlier this month via Brighton’s boutique record label Folklore Sessions.
Recorded in the living room of their Brighton flat the record marks a cathartic release from a tumultuous few years. From the defeated notes of ‘Trails’ - a hypnotising whisper chronicling the throes of a volatile relationship - to the comforting promise of support in ‘Northern Sky’ - The Tide is a collection of songs written with a hand-on-heart approach and striking honesty.
Produced by Josh Trinnaman (the brain of jazz-IDM fusion band, Luo), the intimate guitar and vocal arrangements are brought to life with rich soundscapes and electronic ambience, creating a dream-like atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you captivated.
Paper Hawk is an alt-folk duo currently based in Brighton, who combine intricate guitar driven melodies with hushed tones and raw confessional lyrics. A collaboration of two songwriters, Rebecca Brandler and Scott Booth, the project began after the two met a few months after both moving to Brighton to study. Rebecca heard Scott playing a cover of ‘Ocean’ by John Butler and instant musical sparks were ignited and she knew she wanted to write music together. The bond was then nurtured in a cold basement flat with muted rehearsals to avoid complaints from the neighbours but has proven to pay off, being nourished into a harrowingly beautiful EP with layers that muster unique strength, blanketed with velvet vocals.
We did a Q&A with the duo to learn more about their influences, ‘Trails’, The Tide and more. Read it below.
You're relatively new to the music scene but you've swiftly left your mark playing across the country with sets at Glastonbury, 2000 Trees, YNOT and the Alternative Escape Festival. How did all that come about?
A few years back we uploaded a video of us playing ‘Trails’ in our living room to YouTube and everything just went from there really. We were asked to play at Folklore Sessions who then got us on the radio for a live session with Juice FM and suddenly some crazy opportunities started coming in. We were also really lucky as we were both studying at BIMM and their festival team had seen us play a couple times. They got in touch and asked if we’d like to go with them to a few festivals and play at some of the stages they were sponsoring. Glastonbury in particular was completely surreal- still pinching ourselves about that one.
Who or what has influenced your ethereal alt-folk sound?
I think more than anything it’s just a sound we’re both really drawn to. There’s nothing more relaxing than getting into your writing space and just creating all of these sounds- layering up different guitar and vocal parts and building your own little world to escape into for a while. We also owe a lot to our producer Josh Trinnaman who took the sound of our two guitars and vocals and really ran with it to enhance the ethereal element.
You recently released your latest single 'Trails'. What was the inspiration behind the track?
‘Trails’ was one of the first songs we ever wrote together and one of the catalysts that started things moving for us. It was written from quite a dark place about being stuck in a dangerous relationship and feeling like there was no way out; I’ve always seen it as a whispered confession that things are not okay. It’s a very personal song that’s somehow become a battle cry- singing this song written from a place of defeat, after coming out the other side feels like a victory. The atmosphere of ‘Trails’ has changed considerably since it was written, there’s a fire and determination in us whenever we play it now.
'Trails' is taken from your new EP The Tide. What can you tell us about the release? What do you hope listeners will take away from it?
Our plan for The Tide was to release something personal, stories that have shaped the last few years for us. It’s terrifying to be putting something that means so much to us out there but it’s also been quite cathartic to have these four songs together on a record. It’s a very intimate EP. Hopefully it will connect on an emotional level with the people who listen to it and hopefully they can escape into the same world we did when we wrote it.
What was your favourite part recording The Tide? And what have you gained from the experience of recording your first EP?
There was a stretch of a few months where we were just demoing every single thing we wrote and the process was so much fun. There’s something really freeing knowing there’s no pressure and allowing yourself to just create, even if it ends up being thrown away. Most of it ended up on the cutting room floor but a couple songs have stuck around and some of the vocal recordings actually made it on to the EP- the vocal takes for ‘The Fourteenth Floor’ were all taken from the original demo the night we wrote the song. Another element that made the whole experience so special is that everyone involved in making the EP has been a part of our friend group for years. To be in a creative environment with friends you’re so used to sitting in a pub with, and then suddenly be working on a professional level with them and watching them do what they’re passionate about- it’s made every inch of this record feel so personal.
Finally, what else does 2018 hold for Paper Hawk?
So much of the last few years has been centred around hiding away in our apartment and getting this record ready, I think we’re both excited to get out there and play the EP live. We’ve been getting back to writing new material as well so hopefully a second release won’t be too far away. Beyond that, who knows! There’s something quite nice about not knowing where all of this is going…
The Tide is available now.
Me and Rebecca Brandler (Paper Hawk) performing Run Away With Me together at Folklore’s 2nd birthday last month...
My night Folklore had its 2nd birthday on Tuesday.
Sang a few songs with this pretty lady. (Rebecca Brandler, Paper Hawk)
She is not the worst.
Listening through the tracks for our debut EP....
Come join on us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news. www.facebook.com/paperhawkmusic
Much love to you all, can’t wait to share with you what we’ve been working on, - Paper Hawk
In September we had the pleasure of playing an intimate show in a warehouse for an incredible audience. Here’s a video where we played them a different version of Jet Black Hair... Hope you enjoy and please share it along if you like what you hear :)
-Paper Hawk
The wonderful Catherine Eliza Tarrant drew a beautiful picture from our set at Sofar Sounds South UK earlier this month. It was such an incredible night to be involved in and what a wonderful memento to have from it. Thank you so much!
This song is my current obsession