Dreamy and dramatic, soft and spellbinding, “God’s a Different Sword” by Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio emerges like a lush indie folk blanket to calm and consume the ears, the mind, the heart, and the soul.
for fans of boygenius, The Staves, First Aid Kit
“God’s a Different Sword” – Folk Bitch Trio
To their credit, Naarm / Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio have an incredible, unforgettable band name – and an even better sound.
Lush three-part vocal harmonies take center stage on “God’s a Different Sword,” the indie folk group’s breathtaking first single of the year. Reminiscent of The Staves, boygenius, and First Aid Kit, sweetly stirring vocals radiate gently alongside emotive acoustic instrument that gracefully ebbs and flows with the melodies, aiding the band as they spill their souls in three and a half intimately enchanting minutes of warmth and wonder.
Am I lucky?
Or am I just sane?
Have I been walking round in circles
Always fumbling your name
Heard it quiet
At the bottom of my drawer
A heavy conversation
That I started to ignore
Here I go, just one more…
“‘God’s a Different Sword’ speaks to relinquishing a pattern, but indulging in the habit ‘just one more time,’” the band, comprised of close friends Gracie Sinclair, Jeanie Pilkington, and Heide Peverelle, tells Atwood Magazine.
“The song was produced by us and Tom Healy during a fleeting stop in Auckland, Aotearoa this winter, while we were in town supporting Ben Howard. The lyrics are exasperated and questioning, so we wanted them to be held by instrumentation that is optimistic and open. The video, made by our dear friend Bridgette Winten, shows us gallivanting around our stomping grounds in Naarm, where this song was written and born.”
If I left it just a little while
Would these questions turn to answers
In a neat little pile
Could I be good on my own accord?
Heaven knows I know need it
But god’s a different sword
Here I go, just one more…
Dreamy and dramatic, soft and spellbinding, “God’s a Different Sword” emerges like a lush indie folk blanket to calm and consume the ears, the mind, the heart, and the soul.
It’s a bold, instantly memorable introduction to Folk Bitch Trio, and one that ensures we’ll be paying special attention to the Australian band from here on out.
I feel better no I feel awake
Well I’ve been lying in a hook net
Just waiting for my break
Can’t deny it my body keeps the score
But if you tell me that you need it
I can get up off my floor
Here I go, just one more
“We just want people to resonate with it however they like,” the group says of “God’s a Different Sword.” “This song is supposed to be optimistic and curious and life affirming, [so] take whatever you want!”
Atwood Magazine recently caught up with Folk Bitch Trio for a candid conversation about the band’s roots and inspirations, their beautiful new single, and what’s to come as they close out a busy, tour-filled 2024 and look ahead to an even more exciting 2025.
Remember their name – but of course, how could you ever forget it?
Woke up early just a rule I’ve laid
Now my future’s written out
on my Sunday dinner plate
Could I be good on my own accord?
Heaven knows I know need it
But god’s a different sword
Here I go, just one more
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:: stream/purchase God’s a Different Sword here ::
:: connect with Folk Bitch Trio here ::
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MEET FOLK BITCH TRIO
Atwood Magazine: Great to chat, Gracie, Jeanie, and Heide! For readers who are new your music, how would you describe Folk Bitch Trio to a first timer?
Folk Bitch Trio: It’s a good fun time. Maybe that isn’t what people are expecting but that’s how we like to think of the live show. Our music can be sad and earnest but we actually do have a really good time on stage.
How did the band initially form? I know you debuted your first single in 2022; had you been playing together for a while before then?
Folk Bitch Trio: The band was born pre-COVID in 2019 from us being bored and wanting to make something together. The first single in 2022 was kind of the rebirth post-lockdown.
Where did your band name come from? And how do you feel it serves as an “intro” to folks getting to know who you are and what you’re all about?
Folk Bitch Trio: Folk Bitch Trio just came from calling this band what it is in a pretty unserious way. We think it’s a pretty accurate intro to what you’re going to get.
Speaking of folk, what pulls the three of you to the folk genre and to these rich, wondrous vocal harmonies that fill every song with such beautiful warmth?
Folk Bitch Trio: We were all raised on folk adjacent music, and are all singers, so it was an organic progression to start making that music together.
“God’s a Different Sword” is an especially moving track, with some truly aching lyrics. What’s the story behind this song?
Folk Bitch Trio: The lyrics for this song came from Heide taking themself out on a date to a pizza shop and getting a little wine drunk and then writing almost the entire song. Shout out pizza mein liebe.
You’ve said this song is about “relinquishing a pattern, but indulging in the habit ‘just one more time.’” Can we dive deeper into that together? Where in your lives is this pulled from, and how does it resonate with you now?
Folk Bitch Trio: It’s about finding it in you to quit a habit even when it still feels good. The song is about a kind of post breakup euphoria that’s also very existential as you question your life for what it is without this person.
I love how you open with the line, “Am I lucky? Or am I just sane?” - it really helps set the tone from the start, but what really struck me is the refrain, “Could I be good on my own accord? Heaven knows I know need it but god’s a different sword.” What do these lines mean to you, if you don’t mind my asking?
Folk Bitch Trio: Well they are questions, so the answer is that we don’t really know. The song is questioning, so what it all means is pretty ambiguous.
Do you have any personal favorite lines in this track?
Folk Bitch Trio: “If you tell me that you need it, I can get up off the floor.” We’ve all been there.
What do you hope listeners take away from “God’s a Different Sword,” and what have you taken from it as well?
Folk Bitch Trio: Take whatever you want. This song is supposed to be optimistic and curious and life affirming, and we just want people to resonate with it however they like.
What’s on the horizon for Folk Bitch Trio as we look ahead, out at the rest of the year?
Folk Bitch Trio: We are currently on our first EU/US tour, then a national Australia headline when we get home next month. We’ve been on tour a lot this year so looking forward to kicking back over the Australian summer. Big things coming in 2025.
In the spirit of paying it forward, who are you listening to these days that you would recommend to our readers?
Folk Bitch Trio: The new MJ Lenderman, the new Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings (our heroes), the new Porches, The Belair Lip Bombs, Amyl and the Sniffers new singles, Laura Marling’s new singles.
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:: stream/purchase God’s a Different Sword here ::
:: connect with Folk Bitch Trio here ::
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Stream: “God’s a Different Sword” – Folk Bitch Trio
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© Bridgette Winten
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