UK Alt-Folk Duo PAPER HAWK Share a Track-by-Track for New EP ‘The Tide’ [Exclusive]

Brighton, UK’s rising alt-folk duo, Paper Hawk has just released their hot Josh Trinnaman-produced four-song EP The Tide today, May 2nd, via Folklore Sessions. The release also coincided with an intimate show where lucky Brighton locals were able to catch the group performing new songs at The Marlborough Theatre. The enchanting lead single, “Trails”, debuted on April 16th and left us wanting to both hear and learn more about this band and their forthcoming studio recording. As luck would have it, songwriters Rebecca Brandler and Scott Booth were keen on dishing up some more info and we scored this exclusive track-by-track for your reading pleasure.

01. “Trails”
– The first song of the EP that, like the other songs, was recorded over the space of a few days in our living room. The intimacy and claustrophobia of being crammed into a room surrounded by cables and microphones suited the atmosphere of the song, which, at its heart, is a defeated late-night confession about a volatile relationship. Somewhere along the way this became somewhat of a battle cry- a reminder of what never to go back to. It’s one of the first songs we wrote together and feels like the root of everything that came after.

02. “The Fourteenth Floor”
– A naïve but heartfelt tribute to young love divided by an ocean. It’s the brief pause in reality where you let your imagination run wild and believe how simple it could all be. The vocals on the track are lifted straight from the demos that we recorded the same night we wrote the song- the rawness and slight hesitation in the delivery felt too honest to leave on the cutting room floor. The latter half of the song is one of our favourite parts of the record. It sounds like what first love felt like- all expectation and hope and feeling like you can take on the world.

03. “Northern Sky”
– One of the more satisfying to perform live, this is one of those simple tracks that builds with relentless energy. The song is a comforting whisper of support and solidarity to anyone battling their demons. We absolutely loved the recording process of this song, and it was the only one on the record that we didn’t really have a set idea on what we wanted the production to sound like. Watching our producer Josh Trinnaman build on what we’d written and create a whole soundscape and atmosphere around it was amazing- it evolved it into something else entirely.

04. “Written In The Lines”
– A bookend to “Trails”, the song looks at the final moments of a relationship that should have ended a long time ago and the toll it’s taken on you. Originally, this was written with a full live band in mind but constraints meant we had to get a bit more creative with the arrangements. The dynamics mimic the emotions of the situation- never quite settling whilst still steadily building throughout. The outro vocals mirror the first vocals heard on the EP in “Trails”, allowing the record to come full circle with a quiet acceptance. Throughout the writing and recording process we all agreed that The Tide was a record about acceptance and letting go of what’s come before. Ending with “Written in The Lines” felt like finishing the chapter.

You’ll be looking for more “Trails” leading to the band’s music.