Charm of Finches, the indie-folk duo composed of sisters Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes, has consistently captivated audiences with their ethereal harmonies, poignant lyrics, and intricate instrumentation. Their latest release, Marlinchen In The Snow, is no exception, continuing to build on the foundation they’ve meticulously crafted since their debut. Originating from Melbourne, Australia, Charm of Finches has made a significant mark on the global folk music scene, earning acclaim for their distinctive sound and emotional depth.

You can listen to the LP here: 

The sisters began their musical journey young, growing up in a household filled with music and creativity. Their early influences ranged from traditional folk music to contemporary indie artists, fostering a unique blend that characterizes their sound today. Over the years, Charm of Finches has honed their craft, not only through dedicated practice and performance but also by drawing inspiration from the natural world and their personal experiences.

Marlinchen In The Snow is a testament to their growth as artists. The album was largely conceived during a transformative four-month tour across the UK and Europe in 2022. This period of extensive travel, constant performances, and fleeting connections with audiences deeply influenced their songwriting. The tour manager in Sweden aptly described touring as "just a long series of goodbyes," a sentiment that echoes throughout the album. The juxtaposition of adventure and the melancholy of being away from home is a recurring theme, providing a rich emotional tapestry for their music.

In 2023, Charm of Finches took a month-long retreat to a secluded studio in Nova Scotia, Canada, to record the album. Surrounded by woods, snow, and a frozen lake, the sisters immersed themselves in the creative process, living and breathing their music in an almost monastic setting. The isolation and the stark beauty of the landscape profoundly impacted the album's sound and atmosphere. Sleeping in the mixing room and cooking on a small electric stove beneath a wall of instruments, they fully embraced the spirit of their surroundings. This environment not only fostered creativity but also allowed them to experiment and push their musical boundaries further than ever before.

Their work with producer Daniel Ledwell played a crucial role in shaping Marlinchen In The Snow. Known for his ability to translate abstract ideas into tangible sounds, Ledwell brought a fresh perspective to their music, helping to realize the sonic worlds they envisioned for each track. This collaboration resulted in an album that seamlessly blends elements of 90s trip-hop, folk, and indie music, creating a rich, immersive listening experience. Tracks like "Clean Cut" showcase their innovative use of vocal harmonies and experimental production techniques, while the title track draws direct inspiration from the wintry landscape and the haunting Grimm's fairytale The Juniper Tree.

Charm of Finches' commitment to exploring themes of female strength and intuition is a thread woven through their discography. Their songwriting process, deeply rooted in personal experiences and introspection, allows them to convey these themes authentically. Whether writing individually or collaboratively, the sisters prioritize emotional honesty and connection, resulting in songs that resonate deeply with listeners, making them feel the raw emotions behind the music.

Their previous album, Wonderful Oblivion received critical acclaim and set a high bar for their subsequent work. Marlinchen In The Snow not only meets but exceeds these expectations, demonstrating their evolving sound and artistic maturity. The recording process for this album was markedly different from their previous efforts, reflecting their desire to continuously push their creative limits.

As they prepare for an upcoming UK tour and additional dates in Canada, Charm of Finches remains dedicated to delivering intimate and memorable live performances. Their shows, characterized by lush vocal harmonies and intricate instrumental arrangements, offer fans an immersive musical experience reflecting their recordings' depth and beauty.

Charm of Finches has garnered significant recognition, including awards from the Australian Folk Music Awards and nominations for the Australian Music Prize. However, they measure their success not by accolades but by the authenticity of their music and the connections they forge with their audience. Their songs, often reflecting on themes of grief and resilience, have touched many lives, providing solace and inspiration to listeners worldwide.

With the new record, Charm of Finches continues to build on its reputation for creating timeless music that speaks to listeners of all ages. Its ability to fuse different musical eras and styles into a cohesive and compelling sound ensures that its music remains relevant and resonant. As it looks to the future, the sisters remain committed to exploring new creative avenues and sharing their musical journey with fans old and new.

Fandom Daily asked all of your burning questions about their new project, and Mabel delivered.

Congratulations on the release of your album, Marlinchen In The Snow! Can you elaborate on your writing and recording process?

Many songs were penned while on a four-month tour around the UK/Europe back in 2022. We would travel from town to town - each night playing to and meeting a new bunch of people and then moving on to the next place. Per our tour manager in Sweden said touring is ‘just a long series of goodbyes.’ On the road, there’s this duality of beauty and adventure with all the new places, experiences, and wonderful shows, and then this bittersweet sadness of being away for so long, missing people back home, and getting pretty tired, run-down, and a little mad at times. This is a bit of a theme throughout the album. 

In 2023, we spent a month in the studio in Nova Scotia, Canada, surrounded by woods, snow, and a frozen lake at our doorstep. We slept on the sofa bed in the mixing room, and we cooked on a little electric stove underneath the keyboards and guitars hanging on the walls. We’d make one trip to the shops every week, but apart from that, we bunkered down in the studio for the whole month and really immersed ourselves in the creative process.

Your music has been celebrated for exploring female strength and intuition. How do you incorporate these themes into your songwriting process?

We don’t consciously write about any themes. We write from our own experiences, and our songs are expressions of our internal worlds. Songwriting often starts off as a solitary reflective process. I often start by writing—I do a lot of stream-of-consciousness writing and then get my guitar out and sing bits and pieces of what I’ve written, whereas Ivy sort of approaches melody first. We’ll often start a song alone and then come together to finish it.

Marlinchen In The Snow follows your previous album, Wonderful Oblivion, which received critical acclaim. How do you feel your sound has evolved between these two albums, and what were some of the inspirations behind the musical direction of your latest release?

We recorded both these records with Daniel Ledwell, although Wonderful Oblivion was made online. We would send him the files from our home studio in Melbourne, Australia, and he would mix them and add more instruments in his studio in Canada.

With every album, we push our musical boundaries more and more! With Marlinchen In The Snow, we were really excited to just explore musically and see what would happen. We didn’t really worry about fitting into the confines of any genre; we just tried to create sonic worlds that each song called for. We embraced our love for 90s trip-hop and experimented a lot with vocal ‘ear-candy’ (Like overdubs that are more like instrumentation than backing vocals), which you can hear in “Clean Cut” in particular. Some artists we listened to while in the studio were Andy Shauf, Gregory Alan Isakov, Massive Attack, Portishead, and Radiohead.

You recently recorded in rural Nova Scotia, drawing inspiration from the frozen beauty of the landscape. How did this environment influence the creative process of making Marlinchen In The Snow, and what was it like working with producer Daniel Ledwell in that setting?

Being surrounded by this beautiful snowy landscape was the perfect backdrop for the creative process. You can hear the winter creeping into some of the songs. 

The title track, “Marlinchen In The Snow," was directly inspired by the snowy landscape, which was like something from a fairytale. It reminded us of a Grimm’s tale called The Juniper Tree, which we were told as kids. It tells of how Marlinchen discovers her stepbrother's death at the hands of her mother. She then plants his bones underneath the juniper tree, transforming him into a bird. 

There's lots of symbolism in the story but really, it’s about female strength and intuition - overcoming obstacles led by your inner voice - which is a theme throughout the album. The frozen lake makes a really haunting sound when the ice cracks somewhere and it reverberates through the lake - it’s called a ‘frost quake’. It’s hard to describe the sound and we couldn’t really capture a recording. We tried imitating it with our voices, but that didn’t really work either! 

Dan is so much fun to work with. He brings a different musical perspective, which makes exploring so interesting! He’s amazing at finding that sound that you can only vaguely describe from your imagination. 

How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and reaching a wider audience with your music?

I think it can be a bit of a trap to think about reaching or appealing to any sort of audience when you’re creating. Honestly, we don’t really think about the audience when we’re writing and recording the music. We just focus on making songs that feel truthful and exciting to us. I think audiences can sense those things in a song.

As sisters working closely together, what dynamics do you find most beneficial to your creative collaboration, and how do you navigate any challenges that arise from working with family?

We can be very honest with each other since we are very close. We think it’s valuable to have a collaborator who can tell you truthfully that you can do better, haha! Of course, we have arguments! We don’t talk to each other for about half an hour, and then we kind of just forget about it. 

With an upcoming UK tour and additional dates in Canada, how do you prepare for live performances, and what can fans expect from your shows in terms of atmosphere and musical experience? 

Yes, we’re so excited to get to the Northern Hemisphere again!

Before we play a show,, we have a ritual of drinking hot lemon, ginger, and honey tea while we do our makeup and vocal warm-up because it’s great for the voice and soothes the throat.

We’ve been doing shows around Australia, and it’s been so much fun playing the songs from the new album. We’ll be traveling in duo form - Ivy on violin and keys, me on guitar, and then, of course, both of us on all the vocal harmonies! 

Winning awards such as the Australian Folk Music Awards and being nominated for the Australian Music Prize are significant achievements. How do you measure success as musicians, and what goals do you hope to achieve with your music in the future?

It’s really nice to be acknowledged for the hard work that we put into the music that we make, and whenever we receive an award, we appreciate the acknowledgment. But we try not to take external praise too personally because it’s a slippery slope when the amount of external praise you receive affects you emotionally. We tend to focus on the actual music making and our experiences touring. We made an album that we’d enjoy listening to and that feels like it captures an authentic part of each of us - that feels like success.

Your music often resonates deeply with listeners on a personal level. Have you ever received a particularly touching fan story or message about how your music has impacted someone's life? If so, how does hearing these stories affect your own connection to your music and its meaning?

We have written a fair few songs contemplating death and reflecting on grief.  We've had people come up to us after our shows and tell us how the songs have resonated with them. We’re often told that our music has helped people feel their grief in a sort of therapeutic way, which means a lot to us. It’s nice to see the songs take on a life of their own in the world. We often write songs as a therapeutic process for us, so it’s amazing when they can have that same effect on the listener. 

Your music has a timeless quality that resonates with fans of all ages. How do you feel your music speaks to different generations, and what do you hope younger listeners in particular, take away from your songs and performances?

I feel our music fuses so many eras and styles—simply because we have grown up listening to classic folk music like old-time Appalachian music and Bob Dylan and then tonnes of contemporary music, including songwriters we love like Adrienne Lenker, Aldous Harding, and Sufjan Stevens. Vocal harmonies and beautiful melodies can touch anyone of any age.

These songs come from an emotional place, and we hope that listeners can connect with them—perhaps they will even bring some comfort. Feel those feelings; it’s cheaper than therapy, haha. 

Photo Credit: Jeff Andersen.