Paper Birch are the duo of London-based Dee Sada and Glasgow-based Fergus Lawrie, who have been in several other projects and have been mutual fans of each other online for years. Although they still haven’t met in ‘real life’, they decided to form Paper Birch in May 2020, writing and recording remotely, which has resulted in their debut album morninghairwater, arriving on July 30 through Reckless Yes.
Lead single “Love For The Things Yr Not” is already out in the world, and today they follow it up with a song called “Cemetery Moon”. Lyricist and vocalist Sada was inspired by her numerous walks through Tower Hamlets’ Cemetery Park, and she says:
“The song is a reflection of the poignant changing nature of a physical space when a relationship begins and ends. Surroundings become entities that create different moods, meaning and generate both familiar and unfamiliar feelings.”
With a lightly fuzzy undercurrent running beneath their billowing acoustic guitar and cloudy synth, Paper Birch immediately recall dreampop and slowcore greats, particularly Galaxie 500. Sada’s voice is breathy and private during the verses, her words like musings shared between herself and the night. As her silvery stroll continues, her voice gradually picks up with the quiet tension of her words; “When I saw you for the first time I hid / From the greatest thing I could’ve known.” By the end there’s regret, as she admits “you shut the door,” but there’s a beautiful levity that makes it feel like it’s not a permanent closure, and a little bit of positivity is going to pry it open, revealing a world of humble happiness.
Watch the video for “Cemetery Moon” below or listen to the song on streaming platforms.
Paper Birch’s debut album morninghairwater comes out on July 30 through Reckless Yes (pre-order on Bandcamp). You can find the band on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
