Russell Swallow specialises in lovingly-crafted songs pitched somewhere between the romantics of Fleet Foxes, the upbeat poppiness of Patrick Wolf, and the brooding of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, with a strong voice and poetic, heartfelt lyrics. Check out ‘Home’ from his 2012 EP, Sunrise Mountain, for a taster: it’s a statement of identity and intent.
‘Paper Aeroplanes’ is similarly bright and beautiful; his whole debut EP is infused with warmth, with a more feverish edge on ‘Christmas Eve’. A new single, ‘Africa’, featuring vocals from Becky, Emily and Lucy of Stealing Sheep, will be released on 4 March, alongside a string of tour dates across the UK. A new EP will follow later this year; you can see some of the recordings-in-progress here.
Words: Becky Varley-Winter