Item: Folk Bitch Trio - Now Would Be A Good Time
Rating: 3

Folk Bitch Trio - Now Would Be A Good Time

Reviewer: Kayla Sandiford

Released: 25th July 2025

Label: Jagjaguwar

At a glance, of the three descriptors in Australian trio Folk Bitch Trio’s name ring true: there are three of them, Heide Peverelle, Jeanie Pilkington and Grace Sinclair, and they champion a folk sound invigorated by rumbling Americana, classic rock and balladry. Opener ‘God’s a Different Sword’ sets the atmosphere, instrumentally warm, with dusky strums to accompany the threesome’s converging voices. With quips like “Am I lucky? Or am I just sane?” and “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,” they showcase a mindful wit. Their fireside intimacy remains consistent throughout, despite candid storytelling, as they ask for respite in response to an intrusive sex dream on ‘Hotel TV’, and endure cyclical break-up-make-up tension on ‘The Actor’.

And even in their more minimal arrangements - see ‘Moth Song’ and ‘I’ll Find A Way’ - the group transmute emotion through their harmonic unison. These shine most on ‘That’s All She Wrote’, where an isolated, cyclical acoustic strum balances melodic dips and modest string arrangements to underpin the story. With lines like “My legs are hanging all over the place / Your head down my skirt, you really know me / But I can’t wait to get back home / You’re right here with me / But I feel so alone”, the dichotomy of sexual intimacy and emotional dissonance is one of the record’s peak expressions. Vulnerable closer ‘Mary’s Playing The Harp’, on which an on-tour breakup is detailed serves as a fitting endnote, open-hearted and bruised, much like the record itself. ‘Now Would Be A Good Time’ finds both power and humour in the mess.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Folk Bitch Trio, Jagjaguwar