Australia is quite the hot bed for music, with the likes of King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Julia Jacklin blessing our soundwaves in the worlds of punk, indie and whatever King Gizzard comes under, and here they are with another offering, this time in the world of folk. Folk Bitch Trio are made up of three friends, Jeanie Pilkington (she/her), Heide Peverelle (they/them) and Gracie Sinclair (she/her), from Melbourne/Naarm, who are full of dreamy harmonies and moodily witty lyricism.
They also have one of the most fantastic band names, of which I needed to know the origin of. “We didn’t really get it from anywhere, I guess it is what it is,” says Jeanie. “It’s what I wanted to start and it’s just kinda stuck. I feel like it just says what’s on the tin: we’re a Folk Bitch Trio.” With a debut album approaching and a busy tour schedule, this is a band to get on board with quick so you can brag to your friends that you heard them first.
When listening to Folk Bitch Trio, I’m transported to my late teens/early twenties when I’d fine solace, like many young ladies whose formative years were in the early 2010s, in Laura Marling. They have been passed the torch of being their generation’s voice in folk. Someone out there is sat at their desk at university, listening to ‘Cathode Ray’ instead of writing their essay, just as I did with ‘Rambling Man’ a decade ago. It was unsurprising to then hear that Laura Marling is among their influences. “She’s definitely up there in terms of the OG foundation of FBT influences,” says Gracie. Other influences include Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Angel Olsen, Aldous Harding, Nick Drake, as well as some Wilco and Radiohead. Their music is like a tapestry of those who came before them and what lies ahead in the world of folk.
The three share songwriting duties, each bringing in their own heartbreaks and humour. “Most of the time it’s singular songwriting. You can really get the threads going and then we arrange together.” says Gracie on their process. “We get to ask each other for help and to help fix the puzzle,” adds Heide. Their writing process is becoming more collaborative, as Gracie is keen to note. “We’re getting more and more collaborative just naturally as we do this more and more.”
While their work has become more collaborative, their songwriting styles and themes are still as distinct as their different personalities and hairstyles. “I think people will start to hear the nuances, and typically we always sing lead if it’s the song we’ve mostly written,” explains Jeanie. “We definitely have really distinct styles, and I think people will come to learn them.” If you fancy doing some homework in preparation for the album release, have a listen to their own playlists on Spotify, with all their influences. They might just give a clue as to who’s song belongs to who.
Usually when harmonies are so tight that the voices become one, the band members are related. Think the likes of The Beach Boys or The Castellows and how their voices intertwine, there is a science behind why familial, especially sibling harmonies are so blended. Therefore, based on how tight their harmonies are, it’d be easy to mistake the trio as siblings. “We’ve said in the past that we chat a lot of shit and that helps,” laughs Gracie. “We chat a lot together and we’ve just done it a lot, we’ve had a lot of practice off stage and a lot of practice on the stage.”
“We’re kind of like family now, we’re like siblings,” says Heide. “We’re not blood related but that’s how it feels. So, I think that’s maybe what’s coming through.” This close connection doesn’t mean that they didn’t have to put in the work though. As Jeanie is quick to point out, “To credit us in the early days, even though the magic and spark was there, we would go to the studio, go to someone’s kitchen table and sit and just do the same things again and again and again until they sounded right.”
This closeness and shared work ethic has ensured a strong foundation for their sound. “Maybe because that’s our basis of how hard we had to work to start the car in the first place, putting in work now doesn’t ever feel so difficult,” continues Jeanie. “Changing gears isn’t as hard,” adds Gracie. While the harmonies might be down pat, there’s no room for being complacent about trying new ideas. As Heide says, “I think making the arrangements interesting that’s kind of where we’re at now, because it’s quite easy to just go ‘okay, yeah, great!’ But making it nuanced is where the work is.”
The trio played a few UK dates in May and return this summer. “I love the UK, we love the UK. We stayed in Hackney above London Fields, the weather turned good for us, every single day we were drinking beers in the Fields, it was beautiful. I just love it.” The London venue was the intimate St. Pancras Old Church, somewhere Gracie couldn’t believe was so old that they were performing on tombs, and Heide noted on the acoustics in churches. “These buildings are built for harmonies, so we do well in churches.”
For those of you who were sad to miss this and are a little concerned that the band’s upcoming dates are US and Australia heavy, there’s no need to fret. Not only will they be back to play Green Man Festival in August, but the band have announced further headline dates across the UK in August.
Folk Bitch Trio’s spellbinding debut album, Now Would Be A Good Time, will be out 25th of July, with three singles, ‘God’s a Different Swords,’ ‘The Actor,’ and ‘Cathode Ray,’ already out for your eager ears to be enchanted by. The trio will be in L.A. on the day of the album release, and while they might not have planned their celebration yet, that doesn’t mean they’re not excited for it. “We’re raring and ready to go,” concludes Gracie. “We’re so excited to take this record on the road and we hope to see you there!”
