There’s a misconception that folk music is dainty, solemn, or fogeyish, but don’t let the genre’s gentle acoustic melodies fool you.
Folk has always been home to lyrical powerhouses like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, whose lyrics draw on dark themes but also rejoice in life, capturing the full breadth of the human experience. Folk’s ability to lay bare raw emotion is what makes it so magnetic. It connects deeply with listeners allowing us to empathise with the singers and see ourselves reflected in their stories.
Folk Bitch Trio is a group of three best friends hailing from Melbourne/Naarm, Australia, who aren’t afraid of breaking the genre’s traditional ‘rules’. Their music is instantly captivating, wedding classical folk melodies with a youthful humour and edge.
They vividly narrate the messy tragedies of young-adulthood: yearning, breakups, gender identity, and friendship, without taking themselves too seriously. By focusing on their everyday struggles, what they call “pathetic tragedies”, they allow you to see echoes of your own life in their songs. Their debut album, Now Would Be A Good Time, is a soundtrack for all the Folk Bitches out there navigating modern life. It’s infused with wit and sarcasm, yet remains deeply vulnerable.
It’s easy to be hypnotised by the dreamy harmonies and tender folk acoustics, but there’s a darkly sweet undercurrent from the candid lyricism. Hotel TV unpicks the experience of having a sex dream about someone else while laying next to your partner, Cathode Rea expresses the feeling of wanting to break out of your body, and Moth Song is about losing the plot. It’s refreshing to hear music that reflects on the awkward, raw, and real.
There’s an almost spellbinding quality to the songs and you’ll find yourself endlessly looping the tracks.
The Trio is composed of Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her), and Heide Peverelle (they/them), classmates turned confidants. Their music acts as a form of intimacy, Peverelle explained to NME that “Being able to sing such vulnerable songs and feel accepted, that’s maybe where the magic was”. The band thrives on the synergy between them – their voices blend naturally to create a rich layered sound and their close-knit bond translates into their intimate songwriting process. “We have three individual voices,” they say, “but the story we tell is unified because our hearts are very melded.”
Folk Bitch Trio offers a window to what lies ahead for Folk music: it’s bold, imperfect, and radiates authenticity. From their bold tongue-in-cheek name to their lively confessional storytelling, it’s impossible not to be captivated.