Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with Finlay Birch

Finlay Birch’s debut album Weight Will Unwind is a thoughtful collection of songs written across nearly a decade, blending indie folk, alternative rock, and warm acoustic textures into a cohesive and deeply personal statement. Recorded on the Isle of Mull with producer Dylan Cooper, the album balances intimacy and atmosphere without sacrificing emotional clarity. Birch’s songwriting is patient and reflective, exploring memory, emotional baggage, and the gradual process of letting go. Rather than chasing dramatic moments, Weight Will Unwind succeeds through restraint, allowing its melodies and stories room to breathe. It marks the arrival of a distinctive and quietly compelling Scottish songwriting voice.

Interview with Finlay Birch

Which track changed the most between its first draft and the final recording?

Probably Inside Your Mind. It was one of the last songs to be finished and changed shape several times before we recorded it. The original version was much simpler iisy guitar and voice, but by the time Dylan and I finished it, it had become something much more expansive and emotionally open.

Did revisiting older songs reveal anything uncomfortable about who you were when you wrote them?

Not uncomfortable so much as surprising. Some of these songs were written when I was nineteen or twenty, and hearing them again reminded me how intensely I felt things at that age. There was a lot of uncertainty and longing in those early songs, and I think I understand them differently now.

At what point did you realise these songs belonged together as an album rather than separate releases?

Once I had ten songs sitting together, I realised they all seemed to circle around similar ideas of release, memory and learning to carry things differently. Even though they were written over almost a decade, they felt like they were having the same conversation.

How much of the record’s emotional weight comes from lived experience and how much comes from hindsight?

Both. The feelings themselves came from lived experiences, but the perspective comes from hindsight. Some songs only really revealed what they meant years after I wrote them.

What did Dylan Cooper hear in these songs that you hadn’t heard yourself?

He heard confidence in them. Left to myself, I probably would have kept everything very understated. Dylan encouraged me to trust the songs and allow them to breathe without losing what made them personal.

Your earlier work was largely self-recorded. What was hardest about giving someone else a role in shaping the sound?

Letting go of control. When you’ve lived with songs for years, it can feel strange inviting someone else into that world. But Dylan understood what I was trying to say and helped bring out things I couldn’t hear on my own.

Were there songs that didn’t survive the transition from bedroom recordings to a full studio environment?

There were a few ideas that never made the final record. Some songs worked beautifully as voice notes or demos but didn’t have enough life when we tried to record them properly.

The album is built around themes of release. Was there anything you struggled to let go of during the making of it?

Perfection. I spent years rewriting songs and wondering whether they were finished. Eventually I realised that part of making the album was accepting that songs don’t have to say everything to say enough.

How does living on Mull influence your writing beyond the obvious ideas of landscape and isolation?

Living on Mull has changed my pace more than anything. It has taught me to pay attention and to accept stillness. That has had a huge influence on the way I write.

Do you think the island changed the way you hear silence in music?

Definitely. Silence feels important to me now. You don’t have to fill every space. Sometimes what’s left unsaid carries just as much emotion.

Looking back at your earliest releases, what instincts have stayed the same?

I’ve always been drawn to honesty and melody. Even when the production has changed, I’ve always wanted songs to feel human and emotionally direct.

Which song best represents where you are now rather than where you’ve been?

Change The Sheets. It feels less like looking backwards and more like accepting change and moving forward.

Did any lyric become more meaningful years after you originally wrote it?

A lot of them did. That’s one of the strange things about carrying songs for so long. You can write something instinctively and only fully understand it years later.

Was there a moment during recording when you realised the album had become something larger than a collection of songs?

Recording live at An Tobar and Mull Theatre. Hearing these songs performed together in one space made me realise they belonged together and had become something bigger than individual tracks.

After carrying some of this material for nearly a decade, what does Weight Will Unwind leave behind?

Hopefully a little less emotional baggage. The title came from the idea that we don’t necessarily get rid of things completely, but we can learn to let a little of the weight unwind.

What changed between the earliest songs and the album version of Finlay Birch?

Probably confidence. The younger version of me was trying to prove something. The person who made this album was more interested in telling the truth.

When did Weight Will Unwind stop being a title track and become the album’s thesis?

When I realised those three words described all ten songs. They summed up what I was trying to say better than anything else.

Which songs were written eight years ago, and which were finished in the last six months?

Songs like I Want You date back to my late teens, while The River was only completed shortly before recording. The album really spans nearly a decade of writing.

What did recording live at An Tobar and Mull Theatre change in the performances?

It brought an honesty and immediacy that I don’t think we could have recreated by building everything piece by piece. You can hear people reacting to each other in real time.

Why was the farmhouse kitchen the right place to write the title track?

There was something about being on Mull in winter, with the weather outside and nowhere else to be. It felt like the right environment for a song about sitting with things rather than escaping them.

How much of the album is about place, and how much is about emotional weight?

Place and emotion are deeply connected for me. Mull isn’t just a backdrop; it’s part of how I understand memory and relationships.

Which songs needed fuller arrangements, and which worked best stripped back?

Inside Your Mind and The River benefited from bigger arrangements, whereas songs like Hebridean Eyes still work beautifully with just a guitar and voice.

How did Dylan Cooper shape the final sound without polishing the life out of it?

We always prioritised performances over perfection. If something felt emotionally true, we’d usually keep it rather than chase technical perfection.

What does “letting a little of it go” mean in the context of the full record?

It means accepting that not everything can be fixed or understood. Sometimes healing isn’t about forgetting; it’s about carrying things more lightly.

Which older song in your catalogue now feels like the first version of this album?

Probably Young Soul. Looking back, it contains a lot of the themes and emotional honesty that eventually found their way into Weight Will Unwind.

What do Young Soul and Sunflower Girl still tell listeners about where you started?

They remind me of where I came from and how long I’ve been writing songs. Even though I’ve changed, those songs still feel sincere.

Where does Weight Will Unwind sit in relation to Inside Your Mind and I Want You?

Those songs were natural stepping stones. They introduced people to different sides of the album and together they form part of a larger story.

What was the hardest part of keeping the album intimate rather than overworked?

Knowing when to stop. It’s easy to keep adding layers, but sometimes restraint says more.

What did the live recording capture that a studio pass would have missed?

Imperfections and interaction. Those little moments between players often end up being the most human parts of a record.

If someone heard only the title track, what would they miss about the rest of the album?

They’d miss the range. The title track is probably one of the biggest and most reflective moment, but the album moves through longing, hope, uncertainty and acceptance. It’s really about the journey between those emotions.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Finlay Birch - Weight Will Unwind on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist