I was drawn to The Paper Kites, being a lover of emotive sweet folk music, hearing ‘Bloom’ back in 2010 and their album States in 2013. They haven’t let up in their music making ever since and have a knack for creating the sweet, quiet, bittersweet and soul affirming music that suits Sunday mornings, late nights, broken hearts and tender moments.
Which is why ‘Black and Thunder’ from 2023’s At the Roadhouse always felt like a bit of an outlier to me – its a blues-ish, riff-driven song with laid back lead guitar and keyboards rocking a slightly fuzzy, electric piano sound. There’s harmonies, which are a usual feature of The Paper Kites, but they feel a bit more soul inspired.
The song begins with the keys and electric guitar to lay down a cool vibe, with some light tapping on some bongos to bring the rhythm. After a few bars, the bass, another electric guitar and drums reinforce the riff before the vocal comes in. Sam Bentley’s voice always feels soulful and often feels like it’s softly gliding over the music. It sounds effortless, even though I’m sure he’s worked damn hard to make it sound like that and continues to do so. You might think that tone wouldn’t suit a more blues song, but it’s effortless style also works well here.
Black and thunder all of my days
Lord only knows how to keep it at bay
And I’m a man of shadow, man of the light
But darkness, it comes when I’m walkin’ it right
To me the lyrics are about keeping one’s demons or issues at bay, while trying to live the best life you can. I think black and thunder could refer to depression and anxiety and how it can keep you away from the things you enjoy in life. The certainly resonates with me as there are some times when I don’t have the capacity for much beyond the all consuming mental gymnastics of OCD and perfectionism.
Christina Lacy’s harmonies in the chorus are the perfect accompaniment and I love that they are understated. David Powys drives the section with that cool but lightly wailing guitar riff, with all the instruments dropping back to allow the vocals to end the chorus. It’s a classic technique I’ve written about before in posts #6 and #7.
In the second verse, Bentley leans into the vocal a bit more to create some texture and tension. There’s some interesting deviation in the second chorus melody also which helps keep it sounding fresh.
After the second chorus drop down, the band comes back in with an added tambourine and some more driving guitar from Powys. The vocals are repeating “Black and Thunder” for a while. At this point I can imagine the band really enjoying this and not wanting to stop playing. The guitar solo takes over and continues until the fade out ending.
I can only imagine how amazing it would have been to see these songs played live. The album was recorded in an old diggers store in Campbells Creek, with the band played the songs to a live audience for free on Friday and Saturday. It was not promoted but relied on word of mouth and helped create the vibe you can see in the video. With the band having released a new album at the start of 2026, you have a lot of back catalogue to enjoy if you’ve not heard them before or perhaps some revisiting if you have.