First Impressions: Marlinchen in the Snow by Charm of Finches

Upon first listen, the fourth LP from Charm of Finches caused my heart to flutter. They describe their sound as “contemporary chamber folk,” but to me it’s a heady, harmony-rich mix of folk, pop and rock that’s reminiscent of First Aid Kit and the Staves. It’s intense and fanciful, moody but never gloomy, the kind of music that pushes itself to the foreground.

The First Aid Kit mention comes for a reason: As kids in Northcote, an inner-city suburb of the Australian city of Melbourne, siblings Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes (aka Charm of Finches) plumbed the catalogue of the sisters Söderberg while busking outside a local veggie market every Saturday.

In the years since, they’ve released an EP and four albums, won acclaim and honors in Australia, and toured much of the world. In fact, many of the Marlinchen in the Snow songs were written while living the suitcase life in Europe and the United Kingdom during 2022. Life on the road, longing for home and friends, and dealing with the day-to-day drudgery are among the themes of the album. As they sing on “Leave It All Behind,” “And it seems I’ve chosen a wanderer’s life/Traipsing the world as you sleep in the night/But I still crave the warmth of a home/I still love the comfort of everything I’ve known.”

The “chamber” aspect of their “contemporary chamber folk” comes from their use of classical instruments. On Marlinchen in the Snow, Mabel plays cello and guitar, while Ivy strings both the violin and banjo, and also bangs on the keyboards. (That said, this isn’t the Staves circa their collaboration with the chamber ensemble yMusic, The Way is Read.) Here, they’re backed by Daniel Ledwell, who contributes guitar, bass, harp and brass—and also produced; and Michael Belyea on drums and percussion. Sam Bentley of the Paper Kites lends his voice to “If You Know Me,” while Indyana Kippin plays viola and violin on “Clean Cut,” and Lance Sampson of Aquakultre provides backing vocals on “Atlantis.”

The recording itself took place in Nova Scotia during February 2023, aka the heart of winter. The region’s frozen environs reminded the sisters of the Brothers Grimm stories they learned as children, with “The Juniper Tree”—about a girl who buries her murdered brother and watches him transform into a singing bird—inspiring the title tune. It’s a tremendous song about longing for a life they left long ago.

I could delve into each track but, honestly, there’s no need. These are gothic-tinged folksongs that form a bittersweet symphony, with each measure capturing both the verve and lethargy of life circa the modern age. It’s well worth one’s time.