Scottish songwriter Finlay Birch has been sitting on these tunes for the better part of a decade, and damn if that wait wasn’t worth every agonizing second. The Isle of Mull resident finally dropped his debut album “Weight Will Unwind,” and it hits like a whiskey shot chased with regret and redemption. This is indie folk with a serious chip on its shoulder and alternative rock veins running through its heart.
Birch has been dragging these songs from Inverclyde to Brighton and finally to the remote Scottish island of Mull like a man carrying a suitcase full of rocks. The guy’s been through some stuff, and he’s not afraid to let you feel it. After nearly ten years of writing and carrying this emotional cargo, the man finally unloads, and the result is catharsis you can sink your teeth into.
Recorded in just ten days on Mull with producer Dylan Cooper—and let’s give it up for Cooper, whose resume includes work with Charli XCX, Lil Peep, Anne-Marie, and Ashley O—this album pops with energy that feels both spontaneous and meticulously created.
The album kicks off with “Fly Us Both Away,” and right from the first strum, you know you’re in for something special. Birch’s songwriting has that lived-in quality that you can’t fake. This is a man who’s carried these songs for years, watching them age and evolve like fine whiskey.
The title track, “Weight Will Unwind“, is the emotional centrepiece of this whole operation. The single has already been championed by Roddy Hart on Roddy Hart’s Mix Tape on BBC Radio Scotland, and for good reason. It’s the thesis statement for everything Birch is trying to say. The song digs into that feeling of carrying emotional baggage for years and finally learning to put some of it down. If that doesn’t resonate with you, you’re either lying to yourself or you haven’t lived long enough.
“Inside Your Mind” is the tender heart of the album, but don’t let that tenderness fool you—there’s steel underneath the softness. Birch knows how to balance vulnerability with strength in a way that few songwriters his age can pull off.
The album closes with “Change The Sheets“, and what a way to go out. It’s the sound of someone finally ready to move on, to change the damn sheets after years of lying in the same emotional bed. You feel the weight lifting as the final notes fade out.
Now let’s talk about the visual side of things, because the album artwork is a story in itself. Birch collaborated with artist Calum Hall, and the image they used is a transformed photograph taken by Birch’s father in 2016. It captures Birch’s mother and his childhood dog, Skye, at the Glengorm Standing Stones on Mull. You can’t separate the music from the imagery; they’re cut from the same cloth.
The Standing Stones of Mull have seen centuries pass, and now they’re immortalized on an album that feels like it could endure just as long. That’s the kind of connection to history and place that gives Birch’s music its weight. He’s also singing about the land that shaped him, the family that raised him, and the dog that probably taught him more about loyalty than any human ever could.
The album runs at about 28 minutes, which in this era of bloated double albums and streaming filler is the perfect length. It’s not so long that it overstays its welcome, but it’s long enough to take you on a complete journey. Ten songs, each one serving a purpose, each one earning its place.
“Weight Will Unwind” is the kind of debut album that makes you wonder why it took Finlay Birch so damn long to release it. The answer, of course, is that sometimes songs need time to marinate. They need to be carried around until they’re ready to be heard. And Birch knew exactly when to let them go.
If you’re looking for polished pop perfection, look elsewhere. If you want songs that sound like they actually mean something, that were lived rather than manufactured, then “Weight Will Unwind” belongs in your rotation. Finlay Birch has arrived, and he’s here to stay.