In Harmony: Folk Bitch Trio
2025 is shaping up as a rousing year for Folk Bitch Trio, with the Naarm/Melbourne act signing with iconic label Jagjaguwar and gearing up for the release of their hotly anticipated debut album, Now Would Be A Good Time. Ahead of their upcoming Australian tour, the band opens up about the making of the record, working with producer Tom Healy and the importance of humour in their music
Interview Millah Hansberry // Photo Copper Taylor-Bogaars
How excited are you to finally release Now Would Be A Good Time into the world?
This record has been a long time in the making. After over five years of playing together and fine-tuning these songs and the live show, it feels like a very good time to release these songs.
Several of your recent releases have encapsulated feelings of frustration, heartbreak, love and growing up. Does the LP feel like a time capsule for a certain period of your lives, or more of a broad snapshot of who you are as a band right now?
This record definitely feels like a time capsule of this project. It’s an ode to our early adulthood, the growing pains you feel in that time, but also a taste of what is to come with our songs and this project.
There’s also a streak of dry humour running through some of the lyrics. How important is it to find humour in any situation, no matter how bleak or painful it is?
All three of us have very dry, sarcastic humour that for better or worse is present in our day-to-day [life] and our songwriting. We’re all acutely aware that a lot of our “tragedies”, whether it’s heartbreak or embarrassing moments, are as we like to call them, “pathetic little tragedies”.
For us, it’s so important to both honour these moments and find the humour in them. It’s both a coping mechanism and our way of making art.
One of the highlights of the album is the single ‘The Actor’. Interestingly, for such a melancholy song, the music video is upbeat with flashes of humour. What was the concept behind the video, and do music clips give you another outlet to explore your creativity as a band?
The concept really came about because we wanted to include our nearest and dearest in a music video. We had our friends and family audition to be us, which for some might seem narcissistic, but it was a nod to the ones we love. Music videos are another great creative outlet where we can expand the worlds of our songs. It’s another major aspect of being in a band that we love.
All three singles showcase different elements of the band. Can we expect more of this diversity with the remaining tracks?
Absolutely. Every track on this record is a little bit different. We tried to create different landscapes within each song that is both its own but complement the overall world of the record.
You recorded Now Would Be A Good Time with Tom Healy (Julia Jacklin, Jen Cloher, Marlon Williams). How did that relationship come about, and what did he bring to the project?
Tom Healy is a skilled producer, engineer, musician, tone master and a hitmaker as we like to call him. He offered such rich wisdom with creating the landscape for each song and was a rock for us [while] making this record. We co-produced it with him which for some producers might not be ideal, but he was able to step in and out of the producer role so smoothly and always had really creative and fun input to the songs.
What do you hope people take away from listening to Now Would Be A Good Time?
For us, once the record is out it’s in some ways no longer ours. We hope that the listener gleans whatever they want or need from the record in the same way that we interact with our favourite records.
As a band, each of you has a distinct voice and draws from different influences and experiences. How do you bring all three points of view together to craft a cohesive song or body of work in the case of the album?
When we’re writing for Folk Bitch Trio, most of the time the bulk of a song is written by one of us and then we bring it to the group. Each time, the other two in the band are always in the back of our minds. It’s impossible to escape… But generally, we’re living very similar lives that are so intertwined anyway, so whether it’s subconscious or not, we’re always writing for each other in a way.
You’ve been doing a lot of touring recently through America, Europe and the UK. How do you take care of yourselves on the road – emotionally and creatively?
Touring is a privilege and really fun but it can be extremely gruelling, so we try to rest as much as we can wherever we can. We also try to eat well and just be soft with ourselves and each other. We often find being on the road can be where we’re the most creative. There’s a lot of waiting around, so a lot of time to write lyrics and melodies.
In the past few years, you’ve played some major shows and have rubbed shoulders with some of the greats in music. What have been some of the biggest ‘pinch me’ moments?
Playing a sold-out show in London was pretty unreal for us. To have people from the other side of the world buy tickets and show up for us is very special.
For those who have never seen the band perform, what can we expect from a Folk Bitch Trio live show?
A fun, funny, emotional, upbeat and deep show.
Folk Bitch Trio play Jive on September 5. Tickets are on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
