NETTWERK 23rd Jan 2025
The Paper Kites have never been about punch and attack and there are no surprises here. Gently rolling chords accompany warm reflections on life, love and loss. If you like a soak in some wistful regret and quiet hope, this is for you; with a sense of home to the music and something universal to the feelings conjured by the lyrics.
Smoothly downbeat, The Paper Kites’ songs have no grit to rub people up wrong and this collection feels safe, perhaps deliberately so – a set of songs for withdrawing from the world. At one point they ask “spare me the news of the day”. Perhaps this is the ideal album for 2026, though I’d argue for rebellion and insurrection being more appropriate.
Songs like the single, ‘When The Lavender Blooms’, express wanting to simplify and enjoy the basics, hoping to work on that. Is it an unacted wish, an honest intention, or a plan that will lead to happiness – you judge. The album has a consistent tone but isn’t without variety and ‘Morning Gum’ is nicely decorated with splashes of crunchy guitar, like a yellow highlighter on a pastel print. ‘A Word I Needed More’ sees a return to the earlier finger-picking folky style of Sam Bentley and draws thoughts of Ralph McTell’s guitar style. ‘Shake Off The Rain’ sees close-miked nail scratches on the steel-wound strings, conjuring an intimacy. The banjo pops up now and then to illustrate, like in the album highlight, ‘Strongly In Your Arms’, with a nicely judged chorus hook and sentiment. The lap steel of ‘Every Town’ evokes a mournful emptiness as counterpoint to banjo rhythms, while the harmony work of ‘Deep’ is soothing and honeyed.
This isn’t going to win the band new fans, though it will please existing ones.
Ross McGibbon