"This Place You Call Your Home”, the new album from Scottish roots folk/Americana trio Paper Sparrows, is out now on Folksville Records. The follow up to 2023 debut “Hiding Away From the Light” retains the ‘rich songwriting craft’ (Shindig! Magazine) and distinctive twin-acoustic guitar style that won them plaudits on the folk festival circuit (“Highly recommended” - Celtic Connections Festival).
The new album captures their close-knit sound as road-worn live performers, but is also elevated by cameos from fiddle player Pepita Emmerichs (Oh Pep!, Rain of Animals, Wayward Jane) and Graham Coe (Jellyman’s Daughter). The album firmly captures on record the three-part vocal harmony sound that has become so popular in their live sets, adding a delicate power to the quieter moments on the album and an uplifting joy to the singalong choruses.
Their sound centres on their distinctive twin-acoustic guitar style, finger-picking, harmonies and double bass. Arrangements draw upon British and American 60s folk-revivalists (Dylan, Donovan, Jansch, Drever, Milk Carton Kids, Rawlings).
Lead single ‘Wait For Me’ sends a simple message of truth and compassion in the face of hardship and struggle and has proved to be memorable with audiences and a catalyst for communal singing. The follow up, title track “This Place You Call Your Home” shows you the climate crisis through the medium of a breakup letter from planet Earth to humanity. Album opener “Everybody Wants To Be Your Friend” is a cynical but witty toe-tapper about the pitfalls of insincerity, that the band have wryly described as a ‘ragtime Bond theme’.
The band have travelled far and wide, taking in the world famous Cambridge Folk Festival and Celtic Connections as well as Folk East, Ely Folk Festival, Glasgow Americana, Edinburgh Fringe and the Assembly Festival to name but a few. They’ve also opened for The Unthanks, The Shee, Often Herd and Seth Lakeman this summer as well as collaborating with Kris Drever, Katherine Priddy and Rod Clements through their live music club.