Album Review/ Alt Folk : Finlay Birch’s ‘Weight Will Unwind’

Scottish singer-songwriter and alt folk artist, Finlay Birch has just released his latest album, ‘Weight Will Unwind’. His style is a dreamy blend of alt folk and soft pop in ways that lift you into another world. Even though he sings about universal experiences of life and love, he brings a nuance to it, a unique quotient that makes it unlike anything you’ve heard or enjoyed before. If you enjoy artists like Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens or James Taylor, you’re sure to love the distinct stylistic dynamics and tones that this artist brings to his music. 

This latest album is a collection of ten tracks, each one telling stories about emotions and feelings. And how they’ve created human experiences. Across these ten tracks, you’ll encounter such beautiful lyrical jewels that pull you further into itself. A world that swirls in and around you like a dream. 

‘Fly Us Both Away’ and ‘Weight Will Unwind’ are tracks that take long strides into expansive atmospheres. Both of them are designed to widen your horizon and expand the spaces and emotional landscapes around you. These endless frames develop their own language and emotion within which, the vocals and melodies bounce, extend and explore. It is immersive but also full of nuance and distinct pathways for the mind to absorb. Two planes, both merging into a distilled emotional and energy plane. 

‘HBDN1’ and ‘Inside Your Mind’ have a lot of acoustic rock weight that allows the artist to get performative and a little bit theatrical with his delivery. The weight of the beat creates a thoughtful and reflective rhythm to build into and experience the song through. It lends a consistency that the vocals draw from to expressively expand. On the other hand, tracks like ‘I Want You’, and  ‘Hebridean Eyes’ are lighter tracks that feel as light as air itself. With mellow rhythms and soft tones, they form weightlessly. It’s a storytelling space that holds it all softly. 

‘The River’, ‘Two Magpipes’ and ‘Skim Stones’ have lingering rhythms. Ink on paper. These songs percolate and sink into the melodic plane. It leaves parts of itself behind, growing at its own pace. Revolving with emotion and its own story. These are beautiful, poetic and evocative tracks that take the listener to deeper spaces that reside in them. 

The album is an explorative alt folk collection that builds worlds out of small moments in time. It’s written, performed and produced very thoughtfully and you feel it every step of the way. As you move through these spaces, a lot of quiet spaces that exist within us unravel with meaning and maybe even clarity. And through this journey of unwinding, the album has a way of softly and thoughtfully liberating you. Listen Now! 

Check out their Instagram, Facebook!

The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Weight Will Unwind’ by Finlay Birch here -